Tens of millions battled dangerously high temperatures in the United States on July 16 as weather agencies forecast record heat over Europe and Japan.
Firefighters tried to control blazes in parts of Greece and the Canary Islands mid-July.
In Arizona, one of the hardest-hit US states, residents faced high temperatures. Its capital Phoenix recorded 16 straight days above 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius), with temperatures hitting 111 degrees Fahrenheit on July 15. California’s Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, also registered new peaks on July 17, with the mercury possibly rising to 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius). Southern California is fighting numerous wildfires, including one in Riverside County that has burned more than 3,000 acres (1,214 hectares) and prompted evacuation orders.
In Canada, the government reported that wildfires had burned a record-breaking 10 million hectares this year, with more damage expected as the mercury keeps on rising.
In Europe, Italy faced weekend predictions of historic temperature highs with the health ministry issuing a red alert for 16 cities, including Rome, Bologna and Florence. The European Space Agency also warned that the islands of Sicily and Sardinia could suffer under temperatures as high as 48 degrees Celsius.
In China, the temperature soared to 80 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit) on July 19. A remote township in the Turpan Depression on July 16 registered a maximum temperature of 52.2 degrees Celsius (126 degrees Fahrenheit), overtaking the national record of 50.3 degrees Celsius (122.5 degrees Fahrenheit) set in the basin in 2015.
