Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 17th: Many places around the world are experiencing extremely hot weather since the beginning of summer. The highest temperatures in some areas of the United States have recently exceeded 44 degrees Celsius; temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius in Cyprus usually occur in July and August, but this year the highest temperatures reached over 40 degrees for many consecutive days in June.
According to the Associated Press report on the 16th, an extreme heat wave swept through parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado and Kansas that day. The National Weather Service issued heat warnings to more than 63 million people.
The maximum temperature in Phoenix, the capital of Arizona (also translated as Phoenix City), reached 44.4 degrees on the 15th, and dropped slightly to 43.3 degrees on the 16th. The weather service said it was the hottest first half of June on record. The high temperatures are expected to ease during the first few days of the week but then return.
According to the National Center for Environmental Information, a subsidiary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the chance of 2024 becoming the hottest year on record is 50%, and the chance of becoming one of the five hottest years is 100%.
According to the Associated Press, temperatures in many areas of Mexico reached as high as 45 degrees in May. Mexico's Environment Ministry said on May 28 that howler monkeys had died due to heatstroke in Chiapas, a state in southeastern Mexico, and in the states of Tabasco, Campeche and Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico.
On May 15, in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, citizens played in the water to cool off. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Francisco Cañedo)
After summer begins in India, local temperatures reach as high as 50 degrees. According to Reuters, there were more than 25,000 cases of heatstroke in the country from March to May, resulting in at least 56 deaths.
Affected by the hot weather, the Acropolis in Athens, a historic site in Greece, was temporarily closed on the 12th, and many primary schools and childcare institutions across the country were suspended. In view of the lessons learned from last year’s hot weather that led to frequent and severe wildfires, the Greek government deployed more firefighting forces and strengthened training this year.
On August 22, 2023, firefighters put out a fire in the village of Chasia near the Greek capital Athens. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Marios Roros)
Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the 16th, saying that the number of Jordanian citizens who died during Hajj in Saudi Arabia rose to 14, and 17 others were missing. The statement did not specify the cause of death. Previously, the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the 15th saying that six Jordanian citizens died of heatstroke during the Hajj.
Mohammed Abdulali, spokesman for the Saudi Ministry of Health, said on social media on the 15th that 81 cases of heat stroke have been detected among pilgrims this year. "We call on everyone to use umbrellas between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., avoid exposure to the sun, and drink more water."
On May 21, in Karachi, the capital of Sindh Province in southern Pakistan, a man took a shower on the street to cool down. Xinhua News Agency issued
According to the forecast of the Japan Meteorological Agency, Japan will usher in a scorching heat this summer. On June 14, temperatures in many places including Tottori City in Tottori Prefecture, Takasaki City in Gunma Prefecture, and Ichihara City in Chiba Prefecture have exceeded 30 degrees, and temperatures above 35 degrees have been observed in Oago Town in Ibaraki Prefecture and Maebashi City in Gunma Prefecture. The temperature in Kyoto rose to 34 degrees, Osaka exceeded 33 degrees, and the temperature in central Tokyo was close to 32 degrees. It is expected that high temperatures above 30 degrees will occur in a large area from the Tohoku region to the Kyushu region on the 14th, and high temperatures above 35 degrees will occur in inland cities in the Kinki region and Kanto region.
On June 4, a woman fanned herself on the streets of Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. Xinhua News Agency (photo by George Christopher Lu)
The Cyprus health department stated on the 14th that the highest temperature in the country has remained above 40 degrees since the 11th, and the highest temperature soared to 45 degrees on the 14th. Officials from the Cyprus Meteorological Service said that the country's usual temperatures of around 40 degrees occur in July and August, and the high temperature weather in June this year was "unprecedented." (Reporters: He Yiping, Wang Haizhou, Qian Zheng, Li Xuejun, Chen Gang; Video: Wang Yujue; Editors: Jing Jing, Chen Dan, Wang Fengfeng)
