The global heat wave that has been scorching nations in the northern hemisphere as close as Israel and as far as the United States and Europe has also reached the Far East.
On Monday, China reported a record temperature of 126 degrees Fahrenheit (52.2 degrees Celsius) in the northwest region of Xinjiang, in the village of Sanbao, according to the China Meteorological Administration.
Sanbao is a suburb of Turpan, a city where ground surface temperatures on Sunday reached as high as 176 degrees Fahrenheit.
The previous record in China was set in July 2017, when the mercury reached 123 degrees Fahrenheit.
Workers and students were told to stay home, and special vehicles were deployed to spray water on major roads.
In Japan, at least 60 people were treated for heat stroke, and alerts were issued in 32 of the country’s 47 prefectures, mostly in the center and southwest regions.
In California’s Death Valley, the temperature reached 125.6 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday afternoon. Heat warnings were issued for more than 110 million people across the United States this weekend, with multiple states in the west and southwest of the country topping 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
A bit closer to home, in Israel the temperatures on Monday reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit in the northern Negev. At the Dead Sea, the mercury hit 107 degrees Fahrenheit, as it did at Lake Kinneret. In Eilat, the temperature reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
