Japan continues to face extremely hot weather, with parts of the nation experiencing temperatures of over 38 degrees Celsius, while in Tokyo some areas have seen record highs of over 35 C for two consecutive days.
The highest recorded temperature on Tuesday as of 4 p.m. was 38 C in Yamanashi Prefecture, according to the Meteorological Agency. Tokyo¡¯s highest temperature was 35.8 C, recorded in the city of Ome, while it reached 34.3 C in central Tokyo. Neighboring Saitama Prefecture recorded 37 C in Hatoyama, while Ushiku, Chiba Prefecture, experienced highs of 36.4 C.
Across the nation, 57 locations experienced an ¡°extremely hot day,¡± meaning that the highest recorded temperature surpassed 35 C.
This week has seen some of the hottest days of the year so far, with Monday being the first day this year that the mercury in Tokyo rose above 35 C. In Yamanashi Prefecture, the temperature hit 38.7 C.
The higher temperatures are a result of human-induced climate change, according to the Environment Ministry, and it is expected that the number of extremely hot days will continue to increase as the world warms.
In Tokyo, 167 patients with suspected heatstroke were taken to the hospital on Monday, marking the highest number of patients so far this year. During the week starting July 3, 3,964 patients were taken to the hospital by ambulance due to that condition.
The Tokyo Fire Department is preparing for an influx of calls as temperatures continue to rise and heatstroke patients increase, setting up an ¡°Ambulance Shortage Alert¡¯¡¯ system at the beginning of this month. The alert is issued when over 80% of ambulances have been dispatched and it appears that level will continue for a while.
On Monday, the Ambulance Shortage Alert was issued for the first time, with 90% of all ambulances in Tokyo having been dispatched by 8:30 a.m. The department responded by deploying 30 extra ambulances in addition to the regular 280.
As of Tuesday noon, 20 prefectures were under a Heatstroke Warning Alert.
In order to prevent heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses, the environment ministry is urging people to drink water often, stay in the shade, use hats and umbrellas, and wear cool clothes.
This summer is projected to continue to get hotter, with a high likelihood of it being hotter than usual partly due to the El Nino climate phenomenon, which experts have said could be a ¡°super¡± version this year.
The hot weather is not limited to Japan, with the World Meteorological Organization announcing Monday that the world had just experienced the hottest week on record, following the hottest June on record. The global average temperature recorded on July 7 was 17.24 C, surpassing the previous record from 2016 by 0.3 degrees.
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