Temperatures are nearing record-breaking levels in Italy, Spain and Greece, as well as parts of the US and Japan. Weather experts warn scorching weather will likely continue into next week.Dozens of cities across southern Europe were under heat wave warnings Saturday, as officials warn of extreme temperatures persisting in the coming days.

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In Italy, at least 16 cities were under "red" alerts for heat, including Rome, Florence and Bologna.

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In the southern Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia, temperatures were set to soar to 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit).

That would make it the hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe, according to the European Space Agency, whose satellites monitor land and sea temperatures.

The temperature was expected to hit 40 degrees Celsius in Rome Monday and perhaps climb higher on Tuesday, smashing the 2017 records of 40.5 degrees Celsius in Italy's capital.

In Greece, the Acropolis was closed for a second day, with the national weather service warning that "parts of the country could see highs as much as 44 degrees Celsius on Saturday."

The service said the heat wave warnings would continue into next week.

In Spain, the national meteorological service said that temperatures in the eastern Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands would rise to between 40 and 42 degrees Celsius.

US, Japan also face scorching weather

Japan has also been experiencing extreme heat, with temperatures expected to rise to 39 degrees Celsius on Sunday and Monday.

In the US, over 90 million Americans were under extreme heat advisories, watches and warnings.

Experts warned that heat would get worse this weekend for Nevada, Arizona and California, where temperatures were predicted to soar above 120 Fahrenheit (48.8 degrees Celsius) in some desert locations.

In Las Vegas, Nevada, an intense heat wave was threatening to break the city's all-time record high of 47.2 degrees Celsius this weekend. Phoenix, the capital city of Arizona, was set to record temperatures above 43 degrees Celsius for the fifteenth day.

Meanwhile, a series of blazes also erupted across California this week. A forest fire in the Spanish island of La Palma on Saturday also forced the evacuation of at least 500 people, authorities said.

While dangerous levels of heat swept some countries, others like South Korea and China have reported deadly floods because of unusually heavy rains that has left several people dead.

Scientists have warned that the frequency and severity of heat waves has increased steadily because of climate change.

rm/dj (Reuters, AFP)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 15, 2023 09:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).