META: Europe heatwave – latest news: Charon sees temperatures soar again as record could be broken

Europe’s record for the hottest temperature ever recorded could be broken this week, with Italy issuing new hot weather red alerts for 16 cities as another heat dome heads towards the Mediterranean region.

A new anticyclone dubbed “Charon”, who in Greek mythology was the ferryman of the dead, advanced into the region from north Africa on Sunday and could lift temperatures well above 45C in parts of Italy.

“We need to prepare for a severe heat storm that, day after day, will blanket the whole country,” Italian weather news service said.

“In some places ancient heat records will be broken.”The hottest temperature recorded in Europe was 48.8C in Sicily, in August 2021.

California’s Death Valley has recorded a temperature of 53 degrees Celsius on Sunday amid sweltering global temperatures that are baking parts of Asia and Europe as well.

The Furnace Creek area in Death Valley, which runs along part of central California’s border with Nevada and has long been considered the hottest place on Earth, recorded 53.33C, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

Meteorologists are raising concerns that amid extreme temperatures worldwide, Furnace Creek can see the mercury rising up to 55C or above.

The hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 56.67C in July 1913 at Furnace Creek. However, there are some disputes over this reading.

Temperatures at or above 54.4C have only been recorded on Earth a handful of times, mostly in Death Valley.

Amid sweltering heat in parts of Asia, Japan has issued heatstroke alerts on Sunday to tens of millions of people warning that the heat was at life-threatening levels.

Japan saw temperatures soaring to nearly 40C in some places, including the capital Tokyo.

The government issued heatstroke alerts for 20 of the country’s 47 prefectures, mainly in the east and southwest, affecting tens of millions of people.

While record-high temperatures were scorching swathes of the country, torrential rain pummelled other regions.

As southern Europe is grappling with record-breaking heat, the US and several countries in Asia are also experiencing record-breaking temperatures.

China’s Sanbao city recorded an extreme temperature of 52C on Sunday while in the US Death Valley, known for being the world’s hottest place, recorded 51C.

Some parts of Europe are on track to challenge these figures later this week, forecasters have warned.

Hundreds of firefighters are attempting to fight agressive wildfires southeast of Los Angeles.

Nearly 1,000 homes have been evacuated in the chaos but there are no reports of injuries on Sunday.

The fires are all within roughly 40 miles of one another in Riverside County,

One alone is believed to have overtaken 7,600 acres.

The local fire department said all fires remain under investigation.

A firefighter has died from an injury sustained while battling a wildfire in Canada’s Northwest Territories, becoming the second killed in recent days as blazes continue to burn in parts of the country, authorities said on Sunday.

With about 10 million hectares already burned across the country, Canada is on track for its worst wildfire season on record, with blazes also raging in large swathes of eastern Canada.

The firefighter, who died on Saturday, was from the town of Fort Liard, the Northwestern Territories government said. It did not provide the firefighter’s name. Another firefighter died on Thursday in British Columbia in a separate wildfire.

British sun lovers can get slightly excited for a week of some sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures.

The next seven days will bring both showers and warmer temperatures, according to the Met Office.

The mercury is expected to remain in the low 20Cs with London’s temperature to stay between 20C and 24C through the week.

However, full blown hot weather isn’t expected to return until mid-August, according to Met Office meterologist Simon Partridge.

“It’s fairly disappointing for the middle of July, nothing particularly warm or sunny,” he told The Mirror.

“At the moment, the main signal on our long-range models is there is a signal for things turning drier and warmer but not until mid-August.”

Mr Partridge said those in certain parts of the country should expect rain on the way.

“The day with the most significant weather is Tuesday, we have an area of low pressure that moves across the UK which will bring some quite heavy rain at times, particularly across central and northern parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with north and south of that a reasonably dry day,” he said.

The US’s Death Valley is in the midst of a summer heatwave that could break its extreme temperature records, meteorologists said. Temperatures in Death Valley, which runs along part of central California’s border with Nevada, were forecast to reach 53.33C on Sunday at the aptly named Furnace Creek, the National Weather Service said. The hottest temperature ever record was 56.67C in July 1913 at Furnace Creek, said Randy Ceverny of the World Meteorological Organization, the body recognized as keeper of world records.

Temperatures at or above 54.44C have only been recorded on Earth a handful of times, mostly in Death Valley. “With global warming, such temperatures are becoming more and more likely to occur,” Ceverny, the World Meteorological Organization’s records coordinator, said in an email.

“Long-term: Global warming is causing higher and more frequent temperature extremes. Short-term: This particular weekend is being driven by a very very strong upper level ridge of high pressure over the Western U.S.” On Sunday in Death Valley, meteorologists were tracking high clouds in the area that could keep temperatures in check. “The all-time record seems fairly safe today,” said Matt Woods, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Las Vegas office, which monitors Death Valley.

The two hottest temperatures on record are the 134 in 1913 in Death Valley and 55C in Tunisia in July 1931.

The chance of a late summer heatwave in the UK has plummeted, accoridng to the Met Office.

It comes as Europe swelters with temperatures hitting 50 degrees.

High pressure is likely to build at times next month which will raise temperatures slightly but they are expected to remain below average.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: “There is no forecast signal for temperatures to reach last year’s threshold this year.

“The chance of reaching 40C is around one per cent, so it is unlikely in any given year, but of course, it remains feasible.”