Record heat waves hit US, Europe, Asia
(UPDATE) ROME: Tens of millions of people battled dangerously high temperatures around the world on Sunday as record heat forecasts hung over parts of the United States, Europe and Asia, in the latest example of the threat from global warming.
A powerful heat wave stretching from California to Texas was expected to peak, the US National Weather Service said, warning of an “extremely hot and dangerous weekend.” Daytime highs were forecast to range between 10 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit above normal in the west.
Arizona’s state capital Phoenix recorded 16 straight days above 109 F (43 degrees Celsius), with residents facing temperatures of 111 F on Saturday, en route to an expected 115 F.
California’s Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, was also likely to register new peaks on Sunday, with the mercury possibly rising to 130 F (54 C).