Washington, July 14 (AFP\/APP):Summer has just begun in the Northern Hemisphere but a brutal heat wave is already gripping parts of Europe, China and the United States, where record temperatures expected this weekend are a stark illustration of the dangers of a warming climate.<\/p>\n
Extreme heat advisories have been issued for more than 100 million Americans with the National Weather Service forecasting particularly dangerous conditions in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas.<\/p>\n
Several European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland, are also baking in searing temperatures.<\/p>\n
Greece said its top tourist attraction, the Acropolis, would close during the hottest hours on Friday as temperatures were expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Athens.<\/p>\n
The mercury may soar as high as 48C (118.4F) on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, the European Space Agency said — “potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe.”<\/p>\n
North Africa has also been sweltering and Morocco’s meteorological service issued an extreme heat red alert for southern parts of the country.<\/p>\n
Some regions of China, including the capital Beijing, are experiencing soaring temperatures and a major Chinese power company said its single-day power generation hit a record high on Monday.<\/p>\n
Parts of eastern Japan are also expected to reach 38 to 39C (100.4 to 102.2F) on Sunday and Monday, with Japan’s meteorological agency warning temperatures could reach previous records.<\/p>\n
Last month was already the hottest June on record, according to the US space agency NASA and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.<\/p>\n
Extreme weather resulting from a warming climate is “unfortunately becoming the new normal,” warns Secretary-General Petteri Taalas of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).<\/p>\n
Excessive heat is one of the deadliest meteorological events, according to the WMO. One recent study estimates over 61,000 people died from heat during Europe’s record-breaking summer last year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Washington, July 14 (AFP\/APP):Summer has just begun in the Northern Hemisphere but a brutal heat wave is already gripping parts of Europe, China and the United States, where record temperatures expected this weekend are a stark illustration of the dangers of a warming climate. Extreme […]<\/p>\n
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