Millions of people around the world seek shelter from the scorching sun as climate change, a strong El Niño and summer in the northern hemisphere, breaking records for maximum temperatures, converge.
In the usually hot city of Phoenix, temperatures have reached 43 degrees Celsius (110 Fahrenheit) for 13 straight days. Volunteers are helping residents—usually weatherbeaten from sweltering desert summers and protected by air conditioning—now in need of a little relief.
The heat wave in the American Southwest has been so extreme that health authorities have recommended that people limit their exposure to the outdoors and be alert for signs of heat illness, such as profuse sweating and dizziness.
In China, a nation suffering from double heatstroke and flooding, people resort to splashing water on themselves to cool off in temperatures as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). Employers across the country were ordered Monday to limit outdoor work to protect their staff from the unrelenting heat.
Europe, particularly its southern zone, is suffering another relentless heat wave, with temperatures reaching 45 C (113 F).
Further south in Algeria, where last week it was so hot that the country recorded its highest overnight low of 39.6 C (103.3 F) in the city of Adrar, temperatures continued to rise this week. Many people carried water through the heat in Algiers, its capital.
Scientists warn that people will experience sweltering temperatures throughout this summer and for years to come, as humanity is causing planet-warming gases.
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The Associated Press’s climate and environmental coverage is supported by several private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
2023-07-13 20:05:50
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