The city of Shizuoka hit 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday — the first spot nationwide to reach that figure this year — as temperatures exceeding 35 C were recorded across a broad swath of the country from Tohoku to Kyushu.
The 40 C temperature in Shizuoka, marked shortly after 1 p.m., was the highest for the city since records began in 1940.
Heatstroke alerts have been issued for 26 prefectures, including Tokyo, Gunma, Shizuoka, Fukui, Hyogo, Wakayama, Hiroshima, Ehime, Fukuoka and Kagoshima.
As of 2 p.m., a high of 39.8 C was recorded in Nishinomaki, Gunma Prefecture, while Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Otsuki, Yamanashi Prefecture, and Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, each hit 38.8 C.
People cross a street in Tokyo’s Ginza district as the mercury soared in the capital on Sunday.
| KATHLEEN BENOZA
A high of 39 C was forecast for Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, and 38 C for Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture and Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture. Nagoya was expected to hit 37 C, along with the city of Saitama.
Kyoto and Yokohama were forecast to hit 36 C, while the city of Kagoshima was expected to hit 35 C.
On Friday, a record 162 locations experienced extreme heat, according to the Meteorological Agency’s Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System. Sunday was expected to surpass this mark, with more than 200 locations nationwide forecast to see extreme heat, the Japan Weather Association said.
Between June 24 and June 30, 2,276 individuals were transported to hospitals for heatstroke, with people above 65 years old making up more than half of the total at 59.4%, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Average temperatures are predicted to soar across the country this summer, potentially reaching levels similar to last summer’s heat, the Meteorological Agency has said, with August expected to be especially scorching.
Extremely hot days, called mōshobi, are defined by the agency as days when temperatures exceed 35 C. Such heat is increasing in frequency due to climate change, which is primarily being driven by the burning of fossil fuels.