Heatwaves are affecting three regions worldwide simultaneously as forecasters warn temperatures could reach a high of 46C in mainland Europe.
China, southern Europe and the US are all currently experiencing severe heat - with some regions reporting record temperatures.
Death Valley, in California, came close to eclipsing its highest-ever temperature (56.7C) after the mercury hit 54C over the weekend.
And in China, a record temperature of 52.2C was reported in the Sanbao township in the country’s north-western Xinjiang region - a jump of 2C on its previous record. This comes months after China reported its lowest ever temperature (-53C) in the northern city of Mohe.
Temperatures were expected to peak at 46C in Sardinia and northern Spain on Tuesday afternoon, according to BBC Weather. The record temperature for continental Europe is 48.8C, recorded in Sicily on August 11, 2021.
Spain, Italy and Greece were bracing for sizzling temperatures as local authorities urged tourists to stay indoors during the hottest hours of the day.
Forecasters warned that the mercury could rise as high as 42C in Greece and 43C in mainland Italy.
Firefighters were continuing to battle wildfires on La Palma in the Canary Islands which forced the evacuation of more than 4,000 people over the weekend. Wildfires also tore through two coastal towns near Athens, damaging homes and forcing thousands of people to flee.
Swiss police ordered the evacuation of several mountain villages in the region of Valais on Monday night as helicopters attempted to douse a forest fire.
Nearly 230,000 people were evacuated from a coastal area in China’s Guangdong province after Typhoon Talim made landfall and battered the region with 85mph winds. It came hours after a record temperature of 52.2C was reported in the Sanbao township in the country’s north-western Xinjiang region.
In South Korea, torrential rains left 40 people dead as river levees collapsed causing flash floods.
And the National Weather Service warned of “record-breaking heat” in parts of the US, stretching from Texas to the lower Mississippi Valley and South Florida. Death Valley, in California, saw a high of 53.5C on Sunday.
The Foreign Office issued a warning to British tourists travelling to Italy, Greece and Spain to comply with extreme weather advice from local authorities.
Italy’s health ministry has issued red weather alerts – signalling a possible health threat – for 20 of the country’s 27 main cities, with the number expected to rise to 23 on Wednesday. France's public health agency said the current stretch of hot weather would probably hospitalise or kill “many” people.
Tourism bodies have predicted that the scorching temperatures could encourage British travellers to seek cooler destinations.
European Travel Commission (ETC) data shows the number of people hoping to travel to the Mediterranean region in June to November has already fallen 10 per cent compared to last year, when scorching weather led to droughts and wildfires.
A report by the trade body found that 7.6 per cent of travellers now see extreme weather events as a major concern for trips between June and November.
“We anticipate that unpredictable weather conditions in the future will have a greater impact on travellers' choices in Europe,” said Miguel Sanz, the head of the ETC.
Scientists have long warned that climate change, caused by CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels, will make heatwaves more frequent and deadly. Experts say the target of keeping global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial levels is moving beyond reach.
Dr Melissa Lazenby, senior lecturer in climate change at the University of Sussex, told Sky News that heatwaves were occurring “more frequently and becoming more intense”.
“We are moving out of the usual and well-known natural oscillations of the climate to uncharted and more extreme territory.”
As many as 61,000 people may have died in Europe during heatwaves last summer, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
In the UK, the Met Office predict that hot summer weather will not arrive until mid-August.
