ROME: Wildfires raged and health warnings were issued in parts of Asia, Europe and North America amid an extreme heat forecast across the globe on Wednesday.
Firefighters battled fires in parts of Greece and the Canary Islands while Spain issued heat alerts and some children in Italy’s Sardinia were told to stay away from sports.
From California to China, authorities issued warnings about health dangers caused by searing temperatures, urging people to drink water and shelter from the sun.
“You can’t be in the street, it’s horrible,” said Lidia Rodriguez, 27, in Madrid.
New heat streaks set in the United States and China and fresh highs in France set new temperature records worldwide.
China’s Beijing set a new record with 27 consecutive days of temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) in 23 years, forecasters said.
Phoenix also broke a 49-year record with its 19th consecutive day of temperatures of 43.3 Celsius or higher, according to weather officials.
In southern France, a record 29.5C was observed in the Alpine ski resort of Alpe d’Huez, while 40.6C had been recorded for the first time in Verdun in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
The UN’s World Meteorological Agency (WMO), in a stark reminder of the effects of global warming, said the trend showed “no signs of decreasing”.
“These events will continue to grow in intensity, and the world needs to prepare for more intense heatwaves,” John Nairn, a senior extreme heat adviser at the WMO told reporters in Geneva. —AFP/APP
