In Pictures
Photos: Millions feel the effects of an unrelenting heatwave
Some countries are taking additional steps to protect the public’s health during the sweltering summer of 2023.
Heat records are being shattered all over the world.
About a third of Americans are under some type of heat advisory, with the most blistering temperatures in the south and the west, where even the regular simmer has turned up a notch.
Visitors who braved California’s Death Valley baked under 128 degrees Fahrenheit (53.3 degrees Celsius) heat over the weekend.
Phoenix is set to break its own record for consecutive days of highs of at least 110F (43.3C).
In Europe, where temperatures are expected to top 40C (104F), many flocked to the water in an attempt to cool off.
The broiling temperatures are expected to continue through the week, with parts of Spain and Turkey seeing wildfires as a result of the harsh, dry conditions.
A combination of long-term human-caused climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is making the world hotter by the decade, with the current El Nino phenomenon adding even more heat.
El Nino is not expected to peak until winter, so scientists predict next year will be hotter.