The summer has yet to arrive, but temperatures have reached record-high levels in some places, leading to school closings, wildfires and deaths.
In China, high temperatures were recorded in the north and central parts of the country. The National Meteorological Center reported temperatures as high as 42 degrees Celsius in Hebei province on Wednesday. The Chinese weather agency noted that the average temperatures from March to May were at their highest since records began in 1961.
In Mengyin County in Shandong province, local media reported that officials created artificial rain to combat an unusually severe drought this year.
India
India, the world’s most populous country, is in the middle of a long heat wave. Temperatures exceeded 50 degrees Celsius in some places in late May. The National Center for Disease Control said on June 1 that the country has recorded nearly 25,000 heat stroke cases and 56 deaths since March.
High heat was also reported through large parts of Southeast Asia in April. The heat is blamed for hundreds of deaths, damage to crops and school closures. Scientists said human-caused climate change has made heat waves hotter or more likely to happen.
Canada
Last year, Canada reported its most intense fire season. More than 6,600 fires burned 15 million hectares. That is an area about seven times larger than the yearly average.
Canadian officials said they expect summer temperatures to be higher than usual after an abnormally warm winter this year. In April, the dry conditions led forest officials to warn of another “catastrophic” year for fires.
Greece
In Greece, the first heatwave led officials to close the ancient Acropolis, home to the Parthenon Temple, during afternoon hours. Officials also closed schools and nurseries across the country for two days.
Temperatures were expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius, on Wednesday and Thursday. The high heat is driven by southerly winds bringing hot air and dust from North Africa.
Greece is one of the most climate-affected countries in Europe. Rising temperatures caused deadly wildfires last year. Greek scientists expect more fires this year after they reported limited rainfall and the hottest winter on record. This week, firefighters and police were watching forests from the air and land ahead of what is expected to be a windy weekend, increasing the risk of fires spreading.
Similar conditions were reported last year across much of southern Europe, including Portugal, France, Spain, and Italy where fires caused several deaths.
I’m Anna Matteo.
