Extreme heat sweeps the world from Europe to the US and Japan

Record heat is forecast around the world from the United States, where tens of millions are battling dangerously high temperatures, to Europe and Japan, in the latest example of the rising threat from global warming.

Italy faces weekend predictions of historic highs with the health ministry issuing a red alert for 16 cities including Rome, Bologna and Florence.The meteo centre warned Italians to prepare for “the most intense heatwave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time”.

The thermometer is likely to hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in Rome by Monday and even 43C (109F) on Tuesday, smashing the record 40.5C (104.9F) set in August 2007.

The islands of Sicily and Sardinia could wilt under temperatures as high as 48C (118F), the European Space Agency warned – “potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe”.

Acropolis closed for second day
“Parts of the country could see highs as much as 44C [111F] on Saturday,” according to the national weather service EMY. The central city of Thebes sweated under 44.2C (111.6F) on Friday.

The Acropolis, Athens’s top tourist attraction, closed for a second day straight Saturday during the hottest hours with 41C (106F) expected, as did several parks in the capital.

Regions of France, Germany, Spain and Poland are also baking in searing temperatures.The Acropolis, Athens’s top tourist attraction, closed for a second day straight Saturday during the hottest hours with 41C (106F) expected, as did several parks in the capital.

Regions of France, Germany, Spain and Poland are also baking in searing temperatures.Relentless monsoon rains have reportedly killed at least 90 people in northern India, after burning heat.

The Yamuna River running through the capital New Delhi has reached a record high of 208.66 metres (685 feet), more than a metre over the flood top set in 1978, threatening low-lying neighbourhoods in the megacity of more than 20 million people.

Major flooding and landslides are common during India’s monsoons, but experts have said climate change is increasing their frequency and severity.

Americans are watching as a powerful heatwave stretches from California to Texas, with its peak expected this weekend.

In Arizona, one of the hardest-hit states, residents face a daily endurance marathon against the sun.