Extreme heat grips three continents as wildfires rage

Scorching weather is gripping three continents, whipping up wildfires and threatening to topple temperature records.

Predictions of historic heat hung over swathes of Asia, Europe and the United States on Sunday.In the Vatican, 15,000 people braved sweltering temperatures to hear Pope Francis lead prayer, using parasols and fans to keep cool.

But in their black robes, priests like Francois Mbemba said they were “sweating like hell”.

The 29-year-old said it felt hotter in St Peter’s Square than in his Democratic Republic of Congo diocese.

In Japan, authorities issued heatstroke alerts to tens of millions of people in 20 of its 47 prefectures as near-record high temperatures scorched large areas and torrential rain pummelled other regions.National broadcaster NHK warned the heat was life-threatening, with the capital and other places recording temperatures of nearly 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

Japan’s highest temperature ever – a record 41.1C (106F), in Kumagaya city, Saitama in 2018 – could be beaten, according to the country’s meteorological agency.

Some places experienced their highest temperatures in more than four decades on Sunday, including Hirono town in Fukushima prefecture, which hit 37.3C (99.1F).

The United States National Weather Service reported that a powerful heatwave stretching from California to Texas was expected to peak during an “extremely hot and dangerous weekend”.California’s Death Valley, often among the hottest places on Earth, is also likely to register new peaks on Sunday, with the mercury possibly surpassing 54C (129F).

At a Texas construction site outside Houston, a 28-year-old worker who gave his name only as Juan struggled in the blazing heat.

“Just when I take a drink of water, I get dizzy, I want to vomit because of the heat,” he told the AFP news agency.