Officials, Scientists Warn of a Hot Summer
2024-06-13
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1The summer has yet to arrive, but temperatures have reached record-high levels in some places, leading to school closings, wildfires and deaths.
2In China, high temperatures were recorded in the north and central parts of the country.
3The National Meteorological Center reported temperatures as high as 42 degrees Celsius in Hebei province on Wednesday.
4The Chinese weather agency noted that the average temperatures from March to May were at their highest since records began in 1961.
5In Mengyin County in Shandong province, local media reported that officials created artificial rain to combat an unusually severe drought this year.
6India, the world's most populous country, is in the middle of a long heat wave.
7Temperatures exceeded 50 degrees Celsius in some places in late May.
8The National Center for Disease Control said on June 1 that the country has recorded nearly 25,000 heat stroke cases and 56 deaths since March.
9High heat was also reported through large parts of Southeast Asia in April.
10The heat is blamed for hundreds of deaths, damage to crops and school closures.
11Scientists said human-caused climate change has made heat waves hotter or more likely to happen.
12Last year, Canada reported its most intense fire season.
13More than 6,600 fires burned 15 million hectares.
14That is an area about seven times larger than the yearly average.
15Canadian officials said they expect summer temperatures to be higher than usual after an abnormally warm winter this year.
16In April, the dry conditions led forest officials to warn of another "catastrophic" year for fires.
17In Greece, the first heatwave led officials to close the ancient Acropolis, home to the Parthenon Temple, during afternoon hours.
18Officials also closed schools and nurseries across the country for two days.
19Temperatures were expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius, on Wednesday and Thursday.
20The high heat is driven by southerly winds bringing hot air and dust from North Africa.
21Greece is one of the most climate-affected countries in Europe. Rising temperatures caused deadly wildfires last year.
22Greek scientists expect more fires this year after they reported limited rainfall and the hottest winter on record.
23This week, firefighters and police were watching forests from the air and land ahead of what is expected to be a windy weekend, increasing the risk of fires spreading.
24Similar conditions were reported last year across much of southern Europe, including Portugal, France, Spain, and Italy where fires caused several deaths.
25I'm Anna Matteo.
1The summer has yet to arrive, but temperatures have reached record-high levels in some places, leading to school closings, wildfires and deaths. 2In China, high temperatures were recorded in the north and central parts of the country. The National Meteorological Center reported temperatures as high as 42 degrees Celsius in Hebei province on Wednesday. The Chinese weather agency noted that the average temperatures from March to May were at their highest since records began in 1961. 3In Mengyin County in Shandong province, local media reported that officials created artificial rain to combat an unusually severe drought this year. 4India 5India, the world's most populous country, is in the middle of a long heat wave. Temperatures exceeded 50 degrees Celsius in some places in late May. The National Center for Disease Control said on June 1 that the country has recorded nearly 25,000 heat stroke cases and 56 deaths since March. 6High heat was also reported through large parts of Southeast Asia in April. The heat is blamed for hundreds of deaths, damage to crops and school closures. Scientists said human-caused climate change has made heat waves hotter or more likely to happen. 7Canada 8Last year, Canada reported its most intense fire season. More than 6,600 fires burned 15 million hectares. That is an area about seven times larger than the yearly average. 9Canadian officials said they expect summer temperatures to be higher than usual after an abnormally warm winter this year. In April, the dry conditions led forest officials to warn of another "catastrophic" year for fires. 10Greece 11In Greece, the first heatwave led officials to close the ancient Acropolis, home to the Parthenon Temple, during afternoon hours. Officials also closed schools and nurseries across the country for two days. 12Temperatures were expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius, on Wednesday and Thursday. The high heat is driven by southerly winds bringing hot air and dust from North Africa. 13Greece is one of the most climate-affected countries in Europe. Rising temperatures caused deadly wildfires last year. Greek scientists expect more fires this year after they reported limited rainfall and the hottest winter on record. This week, firefighters and police were watching forests from the air and land ahead of what is expected to be a windy weekend, increasing the risk of fires spreading. 14Similar conditions were reported last year across much of southern Europe, including Portugal, France, Spain, and Italy where fires caused several deaths. 15I'm Anna Matteo. 16Hai Do adapted this report for VOA Learning English from Reuters sources. 17____________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19artificial -adj. made by people using technology or skill and not from natural causes 20drought -n. a severe lack of rain for an extended period 21heat stroke -n. when the body's temperature is too high and organs or normal body functions begin to fail 22catastrophic -adj. having an extremely bad effect; disastrous 23We want to hear from you. 24Our comment policy is here.