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18-07-2023
TOKYO/ CALIFORNIA: Europe could record it’s hottest-ever temperature this week on Italy’s islands of Sicily and Sardinia, where a high of 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit) is predicted.
Authorities in Japan issued heatstroke alerts for tens of millions of people in 20 of its 47 prefectures.
The US National Weather Service has warned a “widespread and oppressive” heatwave in southern and western states is expected to peak as wildfires rage in southern California.
In India, torrential downpours have killed at least 90 people, following burning heat.
In South Korea, heavy rain for the last four days triggered floods and landslides that killed at least 37 people and left nine missing.
Currently, the highest officially registered temperature is 56.7C (134F), recorded in California’s Death Valley back in 1913.
The hottest known temperature in Africa is 55C (131F), recorded in Kebili, Tunisia in 1931. Iran holds the record for Asia’s hottest official temperature of 54C (129F), recorded in 2017.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Europe was 48.8C (119.8F) on the Italian island of Sicily on August 11, 2021. On July 19, 2022, The United Kingdom recorded its highest-ever temperature, reaching 40.2C (104.4F), according to its Meteorological Office.
Turkish fire crews have been grappling on Monday to contain wildfires in at least three provinces, including Hatay in the south, which was hit by February’s devastating earthquakes.
A total of 19 separate wildfires broke across the country over the weekend, with no deaths reported so far. Some locals were briefly hospitalized, state news agency Anadolu reported.
Like in southern Europe, Turkey has been struggling with a heatwave.
Authorities have warned against the risk of forest fires.
Spain looks set to face more extreme heat, with the meteorological agency warning of a new heatwave from Monday to Wednesday, taking temperatures above 40C (104F) in the Canary Islands and the southern Andalusia region.
On La Palma Island, which endured a volcanic eruption in 2021, a fire burned 5,000 hectares (12,360 acres) this weekend, forcing the evacuation of 4,000 people. (Int’l News Desk)
