A heatwave scorched parts of the Northern Hemisphere, pushing temperatures to new highs on Monday, triggering health alerts and sparking wildfire outbreaks, the latest stark reminder of the effects of global warming. .

From North America to Europe to Asia, people gulped water and took refuge from the sweltering heat. Mercury levels are expected to reach peaks in several locations within the next few days.

Europe, the world’s fastest-warming continent, is gearing up for record-high temperatures this week on the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia, with temperatures reaching 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the European Space Agency. expected.

“We’re from Texas and it’s really hot out there,” Colman Peavy, 30, said as he sipped a cappuccino with his wife Ana on an outdoor terrace in central Rome. It’s hotter,” he said. The beginning of a two-week Italian vacation.

June has already been the hottest month on record in the world, according to the EU Meteorological Service, and Mother Nature is determined to keep up with July.

China reported a new record high for mid-July in the country’s northwest, with temperatures reaching 52.2 degrees Celsius in Xinjiang’s Sanbao village, breaking the record high of 50.6 degrees set six years ago.

As temperatures hit 80 degrees Celsius in some areas, authorities in the nearby city of Turpan have ordered workers and students to stay home and ordered special vehicles to spray water on major roads, the meteorological agency said.

In Cyprus, where temperatures are expected to top 40 degrees Celsius by Thursday, a 90-year-old man has died of heatstroke and three other elderly people have been hospitalized, health officials said.

Of the 47 prefectures in Japan, heat stroke warnings have been issued in 32 prefectures, mainly in the central and southwestern areas.

At least 60 people in Japan were treated for heat stroke, 51 of them were taken to hospitals in Tokyo, according to local media.

It was hot enough in Hamamatsu City for at least one man to ward off social humiliation.

“Honestly, I can’t stand without a parasol, but I have to admit it’s a bit embarrassing,” he told state broadcaster NHK of the umbrella he was holding.

‘Repressive’ heat in the US

In western and southern US states accustomed to high temperatures, more than 80 million people have received advisories as “extensive and intense” heatwaves have devoured areas.

California’s Death Valley, one of the hottest places on earth, reached a near-record 52 degrees Celsius on Sunday afternoon.

Temperatures in Arizona’s capital Phoenix hit 113 degrees Celsius (45 degrees Celsius) Sunday afternoon, marking the 17th consecutive day of temperatures above 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius).

“We’re used to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, 112 degrees Fahrenheit…but we’re not used to stripes,” Nancy Leonard, 64, a retired resident near Peoria, told AFP. “I have to adapt,” she says.

A number of wildfires have broken out in Southern California, including the one in Riverside County, which burned more than 7,500 acres (3,000 ha) and resulted in an evacuation order.

All-time high forecast

In Europe, Italians have been warned to prepare for “the most intense heat wave of the summer and the most intense in history”, with the health ministry issuing emergency alerts for 16 cities, including Rome, Bologna and Florence.

Temperatures in Rome on Tuesday are expected to reach 42-43 degrees Celsius, breaking the record of 40.5 degrees Celsius set in August 2007.

Nevertheless, attractions like the Colosseum and Vatican City were flooded with visitors.

“I’m from South Africa and I’m used to the heat,” said Jacob Furnissen, 60, a civil engineer in Cape Town. “You must drink a lot of water, wear a hat of course. That’s it.”

Greece took a breather on Monday with slightly cooler temperatures, and Athens’ Acropolis resumed normal opening hours after being closed for several hours the previous three days.

But with a new heatwave expected from Thursday and wildfires raging in Koubalas, 50km east of Athens, authorities on Monday ordered several seaside resorts to evacuate as a precaution.

“This is a difficult fire, and the wind is very strong,” said firefighter spokesman Yannis Artopios, as seven seaplanes, four helicopters and 150 firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze. rice field.

In Romania, temperatures are expected to reach 39 degrees Celsius in most parts of the country on Monday.

In Spain, we cannot expect any reprieve. Meteorologists on Monday warned of “abnormally high temperatures” that set a new regional record, with temperatures as high as 44 degrees Celsius in southern Andalusia.

lethal rain

In addition to the heat, parts of Asia are also experiencing heavy rains.

South Korea’s president vowed Monday to “overhaul” the country’s approach to extreme weather after at least 40 people died in recent floods and landslides caused by monsoon rains expected to last until Wednesday.

At least 90 people are reported to have died in northern India after blistering heat followed by relentless monsoon rains.

Large floods and landslides are common during India’s monsoon season, but experts say climate change is making them more frequent and severe.

While it may be difficult to attribute specific weather events to climate change, many scientists argue that global warming is behind the intensification of heat waves.