Some Countries Hit by Extreme Heatwave, One is Reach Over 40 Degrees

Jakarta – The extreme heatwave still hit some countries on the earth. Residents across Asia, Europe, and North America are scrambling to find relief from the searing temperatures.

Extreme heat is expected to happen around the world on Wednesday, as firefighters struggle to put out fires in parts of Greece and the Canary Islands. 

Meanwhile, authorities from California to China are warning of the health dangers that hot temperatures can pose, and urging people to drink more water and shelter from the sun.

So, here are some countries that hit by extreme heat this week:

China

Tourists flocked to a giant thermometer in China that showed surface temperatures of up to 80 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, the latest extreme weather to spark chaos.

On Tuesday this week, the capital Beijing recorded temperatures of more than 35 degrees Celsius, which is a new record for the number of days with the highest temperature in a single year. 

Meanwhile, on Sunday, a remote town in Turpan recorded a maximum temperature of up to 52.2 C which broke China's national record for the hottest day ever.

Meanwhile, wildfires broke out on Tuesday west of the Greek capital, Athens, with the government ordering authorities to deploy aerial water bombers and firefighters working through the night to keep flames away from an oil refinery complex on the coast.

Fire department spokesman Yannis Artopios called it a "difficult day", as it coincided with a heatwave with temperatures expected to reach 44 Celsius.

The Italian islands of Sardinia and Sicily are expected to surpass the continent-wide record high temperature of 48.8 Celsius recorded in Sicily in August 2021.

In Sardinia's capital, Cagliari, pharmacist Teresa Angioni said that patients were complaining of symptoms associated with the heatwave.

"We all feel short of breath!" Spanish television presenter Silvia Intxaurrondo shouted into the camera of state TV channel RTVE as the peak of Spain's third heatwave left locals and tourists sweating and some even fainting.

The digital newspaper OKdiario ran the headline: "Spain melts this week." For the northern and eastern parts of Mallorca and also for parts of Catalonia and Aragon in northeastern Spain, the national weather service AEMET announced the highest alert level on Tuesday. The heatwave is expected to end by Thursday at the latest.

In southern France, a record 29.5 centigrade was recorded in the Alpine ski resort of Alpe d'Huez, while 40.6C was recorded for the first time in Verdun in the foothills of the Pyrenees.

In the Canary Islands, around 400 firefighters battled blazes that have damaged 8,650 hectares of forest and forced 4,000 residents to evacuate, and authorities warned residents to wear masks outdoors due to poor air quality.

Tens of millions of Americans experienced a dangerous heatwave this week with the National Weather Service warning that "a very dangerous, long-duration heatwave will continue in the Southwest into next week with oppressive heat indices spreading into the south-central and southeast".

In the city of San Angelo, Texas, where temperatures are expected to reach 40-42 C, the National Weather Service said that this country is "running out of ways to say that today will be hot".

In Arizona, the weather at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport reached 43.3 C again on Tuesday, breaking the previous record of 18 consecutive days at or above that temperature, set in 1974.