Japan sweats through hottest July on record
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An elderly man sitting under a cooling mist station during a heatwave in Tokyo on July 24.
PHOTO: EPA
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TOKYO – Japan sweltered through its hottest July since records began in 1898, the weather agency has reported, warning of further “severe heat” in the month ahead.
Heatwaves are becoming more intense and frequent around the world due to human-caused climate change, scientists say, and Japan is no exception.
The average temperature in July was up a record 2.89 deg C from the 1991 to 2020 average for the month, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on Aug 1. It was the third year in a row of record-breaking average temperatures for July, it said.
On July 30, Japan experienced its highest recorded temperature, a sizzling 41.2 deg C in the western region of Hyogo.
“The next month is expected to continue to bring severe heat throughout the country,” the weather agency said.
Precipitation in July was low over wide areas of Japan, with northern regions facing the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, experiencing record low rainfall, it added.
The rainy season ended about three weeks earlier than usual in western regions of Japan, another record.
Experts warn that Japan’s beloved cherry trees are blooming earlier due to the warmer climate, or in some cases, not fully blossoming as autumn and winter temperatures are not cold enough to trigger flowering.
The famous snowcap of Mount Fuji was absent for the longest recorded period in 2024, not appearing until early November, compared with the average of early October. AFP
