Global Red Alert: Record-Breaking Heat Bakes The World From US To Europe To Japan

Tens of millions were battling dangerously high temperatures in the United States on Saturday as record heat forecasts hung over Europe and Japan, in the latest example of the threat from global warming. It?prompted many weather forecasters to issue warnings about the ongoing weather conditions.

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US, Canada

National Weather Service in the US predicts that the country is set to witness an “extremely hot and dangerous weekend". The prediction indicates that the heat could remain concentrated on the West Coast this weekend, things could get hotter in the South by early next week.

The US weather agency noted that Phoenix is likely to record its hottest week on record, based on the 7-day temperature average. Phoenix, Arizona's capital, has now seen 16 consecutive days of temperatures above 109F (43C) and could even break the record by reaching 118F by the end of Saturday.

Meanwhile, wildfires in Canada have burned more than 10 million hectares (24.7 million acres) of land this year leading to around 150,000 people being displaced. The burned land is roughly equivalent to the size of counties like Portugal or Iceland.

Authorities have been sounding the alarm, advising people to avoid outdoor activities in the daytime and to be wary of dehydration.

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Europe

In Europe, Italy faces weekend predictions of historic highs with the health ministry issuing a red alert for 16 cities including Rome, Bologna and Florence.

The weather centre warned Italians to prepare for "the most intense heatwave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time".The thermometer is likely to hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Rome by Monday and even 43C on Tuesday, smashing the record of 40.5C set in August 2007.

The islands of Sicily and Sardinia could wilt under temperatures as high as 48C, the European Space Agency warned -- "potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe".The Athens Acropolis, one of Greece's top tourist attractions, will on Sunday close during the hottest hours for the third day running.

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In France, high temperatures and resulting drought are posing a threat to the farming industry, earning Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau criticism from climatologists on Saturday for having brushed aside conditions as "normal enough for summer".

This June was the second-hottest on record in France, according to the national weather agency, and several areas of the country have been under a heatwave alert since Tuesday.

There is little reprieve ahead for Spain, as its meteorological agency warned Saturday that a new heatwave Monday through Wednesday will bring temperatures above 40C to the Canary Islands and the southern Andalusia region.

AP

Japan

Japan's meteorological agency has predicted that temperatures in many parts of the country could reach 38-39C on Sunday and Monday. The weather agency has also warned that the country's temperatures could soon break previous records.

Meanwhile, the northern city of Akita saw more rain in half a day than is typical for the whole month of July, Japan’s national broadcaster NHK reported.

The downpours also triggered at least one landslide, forcing 9,000 people to evacuate their homes.Torrential rains described by the meteorological agency as the “heaviest rain ever experienced” have also hit southern Japan in recent weeks, leaving at least 11 people dead.

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