People gulped water and sought shelter from the sweltering heat, as temperatures crept toward record highs from America to Europe and Asia.
In Western and southern states of the US, which are used to high temperatures, more than 80 million people were under advisories as a widespread and oppressive heatwave roasted the region.
California’s Death Valley, often among the hottest places in the country, reached a near-record 52 degrees Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the European Space Agency said, the continent was bracing for its hottest-ever temperature this week on Italy’s islands of Sicily and Sardinia, where a high of 48 degrees Celsius. The mercury was due to hit 40 degrees after noon today in Rome.
At least 4,000 people have been evacuated from homes on the Spanish island of La Palma, as firefighters work to contain a wildfire which has burned out of control. The fire started in the early hours of Saturday in El Pinar de Puntagorda, a wooded area in the north of the island. People from the villages of Puntagorda and neighbouring Tijarafe had to be evacuated.
In Japan, heatstroke alerts were issued in 32 out of the country’s 47 prefectures, mainly in central and southwestern regions, as scorching temperatures continued Monday. Local media reported, at least 60 people in Japan were treated for heatstroke.
Along with the heat, parts of Asia have also been battered by torrential rain. South Korea’s president vowed today to completely overhaul the country’s approach to extreme weather, after at least 40 people were killed in recent flooding and landslides during monsoon rains.
In China, the Met Office told that over the weekend China had provisionally recorded its highest-ever temperature in the north-western region of Xinjiang.
The Met Office said, the mercury hit 52.2 degrees in the village of Sanbao yesterday.
Sanbao is in the Turpan basin, a below-sea-level depression with a desert that has recorded some of the most extreme temperature variations in China, from temperatures well below zero in winter to baking summers.
On the other hand, US climate envoy John Kerry met his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua in Beijing today, as the two countries attempt to find common ground on combating the climate crisis.
The discussions, are set to continue until Wednesday. It is expected to focus on addressing non-CO2 emissions, particularly methane, and preparing for the COP28 summit.