In Pictures

Record-breaking heat scorches communities around the world

Climate scientists say the record-setting heat is poised to continue as the planet keeps warming.

A man rides a bike on a small road on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, as the sun rises [Michael Probst/AP Photo]

By AP

Daily global temperatures reached an unofficial record high multiple times last week, according to at least one metric, and caused communities around the planet to take drastic measures to help people beat the heat.

A work stoppage in Beijing stretched into this week after a string of days where temperatures were higher than 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).

In North Grenville, Ontario, the city repurposed hockey rinks into cooling centres as temperatures reached 32C (90F) and felt like 38C (100F) with humidity.

And the National Weather Service in the United States has issued heat advisories for a large swath of the continental US, amid heat-related hospitalisations in Austin and San Antonio, Texas, and recorded record-breaking temperatures in cities including: Portland, Oregon; Tampa, Florida; and El Paso, Texas.

People dove into bodies of water in Ukraine, Turkey and Spain. And climate scientists said that the record-setting heat is poised to continue as the planet keeps warming. Commenting on global temperature highs earlier this week, Stanford University climate scientist Chris Field said: “A record like this is another piece of evidence for the now massively supported proposition that global warming is pushing us into a hotter future.”

A man does a flip while cooling off in the Dnieper River in Kyiv, — A man does a flip while cooling off in the river of Dnipro in Kyiv, Ukraine. [Jae C Hong/AP Photo]

Lucas Harrington, age 7, cools off in a mister at Kauffman Stadium as temperatures approach 100 degrees fahrenheit before a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals — Seven-year-old Lucas Harrington cools off in a mister at Kauffman Stadium as temperatures approach 38C (100F) before a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Cleveland Guardians. [Charlie Riedel/AP Photo]

A Iraqi woman fans her child during a power outage at their home in Baghdad, Iraq, — An Iraqi woman fans her child during a power outage at their home in Baghdad, Iraq. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]

Tourists take shelter with umbrellas as another one enjoys an ice cream during a hot summer day at the Rome's Spanish Steps — Tourists take shelter with umbrellas as another enjoys an ice cream during a hot summer day on Rome's Spanish Steps. [Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo]

A security guard wearing an electric fan on his neck wipes his sweat on a hot day in Beijing, — A security guard wearing an electric fan on his neck wipes his sweat on a hot day in Beijing. [Andy Wong/AP Photo]

Zoologist Kris Marshall uses a water canon to help an elephant keep cool from the heat at the Dallas Zoo in Dallas. [LM Otero/AP Photo]

A man dives into the water from a platform at the Tranco reservoir near Beas de Segura, Jaen, in southern Spain, — A man dives into the water from a platform at the Tranco reservoir near Beas de Segura, Jaen, in southern Spain. [Paul White/AP Photo]

A man uses an umbrella to shield him from the afternoon sun in Manila, Philippines — A man uses an umbrella to shield himself from the afternoon sun in Manila, Philippines. [Aaron Favila/AP Photo]

A Kashmiri man cools off at a stream on a hot summer day — A Kashmiri man cools off in a stream on a hot summer day on the outskirts of Srinagar. [Mukhtar Khan/AP Photo]