Dangerous heat waves strike globe

ROME — Scorching weather gripped three continents on Sunday, whipping up wildfires and threatening to topple temperature records as the dire consequences of global warming take shape.

Predictions of historic heat hung over swathes of Asia, Europe, and the United States.

In Japan, authorities issued heatstroke alerts to tens of millions of people in 20 of its 47 prefectures as near-record high temperatures scorched large areas and torrential rain pummeled other regions.

National broadcaster NHK warned the heat was life-threatening, with the capital and other places recording nearly 40 C. Japan's highest temperature ever — 41.1 C first recorded in Kumagaya city, Saitama, in 2018 — could be beaten, the meteorological agency said.

The United States National Weather Service warned a "widespread and oppressive" heat wave in southern and western states was expected to peak, with more than 80 million people affected by excessive heat warnings or heat advisories on Sunday.

In California, the state is fighting numerous wildfires, including one in Riverside County that has burned more than 3,000 hectares and prompted evacuation orders.

Long known as the hottest place on Earth, Death Valley put a sizzling exclamation point on Sunday on a record-warm summer.

Temperatures in Death Valley, which runs along part of Central California's border with Nevada, reached 53.33 C on Sunday at the aptly named Furnace Creek, the National Weather Service said.

Historic highs

Europe could record its hottest-ever temperature this week on Italy's islands of Sicily and Sardinia where a high of 48 C is predicted, the European Space Agency said.

"I'm really struggling with the heat. I've bought a mini fan, an umbrella and bottles of water," said Lilu Da Costa Rosa, a 48-year-old Brazilian salesperson visiting Rome on Sunday.

Italians were warned to prepare for "the most intense heat wave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time".

Predictions of historic highs in the coming days led the health ministry to sound a red alert for 16 cities including Rome, Bologna and Florence. Temperatures are likely to hit 40 C in Rome by Monday and 42-43 C on Tuesday, smashing the record of 40.5 C set in August 2007.

The Acropolis in Athens, one of Greece's top tourist attractions, closed for a third day running on Sunday during the hottest hours.

In Romania, temperatures are expected to reach 39 C on Monday across most of the country.

Little reprieve is forecast for Spain, where the meteorological agency warned of a new heat wave on Monday through Wednesday taking temperatures above 40 C in the Canary Islands.

Agencies via Xinhua