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Updated Jul 23, 2023 - Science

In photos: Extreme heat strikes multiple continents

Rebecca Falconer

Greek officials say some 19,000 people, mostly tourists, have been affected by the country's largest-ever evacuation effort due to a huge wildfire on the island of Rhodes July 22. Fires have erupted across Greece amid searing heat, with Corfu the latest island to see evacuations July 23. Photo: Lefty Damian/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The UN's World Meteorological Organization says it's examining potential new temperature records from "intense heatwaves" that are sweeping the southern U.S., parts of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

Driving the news: "Climate change and temperature increase has spurred a surge in reports of record weather and climate extremes, especially for heat," per a WMO statement. The WMO warns the extreme heat is intensifying in some places and may last into August.

A woman fans herself with ballot envelopes in the sweltering heat at the polling station, on 23 July, 2023 in Seville, Spain. Spaniards are called today, July 23, 2023, to elect their representatives for the next four years. At stake are 350 seats in the Congress and 208 in the Senate (since 57 of the 265 senators are appointed by autonomous regions), which will have to elect the next Government. These elections were scheduled for December, but the President of the Government decided to bring them forward after the poor results obtained by his party in the municipal and autonomic elections held on May 28th.
A woman fans herself with ballot envelopes in the sweltering heat at a polling station, in Seville, Spain, on July 23. Photo: Joaquin Corchero/Europa Press via Getty Images
A woman tries to cover her head to protect from the sun as they visit Sultanahmet Square during a hot weather in Istanbul, Turkiye on July 23, 2023.
A woman tries to cover her head to protect from the sun during hot weather in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 23. Photo: Arife Karakum/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A tourist from Germany takes a selfie using his mobile phone with local cows on July 23, 2023 in Alpe di Suisi, Italy. Tourists have been heading to the largest Alpine pasture in Europe to enjoy the cooler summer temperatures with the average daily high of 19 degrees celsius. July 2023 has seen extreme weather temperatures across southern Europe surpassing 40 degrees in Greece, Spain and Italy. According to the World Meteorological Organisation, extreme weather resulting from the warming climate is becoming the new normal.
A tourist takes a selfie with local cows on July 23 in Alpe di Suisi, Italy, as more people head to the largest Alpine pasture in Europe to enjoy the cooler summer temperatures with the average daily high of 19 degrees celsius as extreme heat envelopes much of the continent. Photo: James D. Morgan/Getty Images
A wildfire south of Kersley, British Columbia, burning on July 22.
A wildfire just south of Kersley, British Columbia, on July 22, which the B.C. Wildfire Service says "has an organized flame front and is spotting ahead of itself." An estimated 1,000-plus wildfires are burning across Canada during the country's record fire season as portions of B.C. are under heat warnings. Photo: B.C. Wildfire Service/Facebook
Tourists refresh with water in front of Athens' historic Parthenon temple at the Acropolis hill, which is among the archaeological sites in Greece to announce reduced opening hours due to the extreme heat wave.
Tourists refresh with water in front of Athens' historic Parthenon temple at the Acropolis hill, which is among the archaeological sites in Greece to announce reduced opening hours due to the extreme heat wave. Photo: Milos Bicanski/Getty Images
People rinse their heads with water from city fountains on July 20, 2023 in Bari, Italy. The third heat wave is affecting Italy from north to south, with heat increasing even at night and record temperatures. The coming week could be one of the hottest of the year, and possibly ever.
A man rinses his head with water from a city fountain in Bari, Italy, July 20. Italian hospitals have reported a 20%-25% rise in emergency department arrivals of people with heat-related conditions including dehydration this summer. Photo: Donato Fasano/Getty Images
A pet store helps dogs cool off in a dog-only swimming pool during the heat wave in Changsha, Hunan province of China, on July 20. Photo: Yang Huafeng/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
Residents stand under misters during a heat wave in Phoenix, Arizona, US, on Thursday, July 20, 2023. Phoenix extended its record streak of days above 110F to 20 on Wednesday with a high of 119F.
People in Phoenix, Arizona, stand under misters on July 20 during the record-breaking heat wave. Photo: Caitlin O'Hara/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A Sumatran tiger cools off with a block of frozen fruit as temperatures hit 104°F at Rome Zoo in Italy on July 19. The Italian government has issued red alerts for 16 cities due to the searing, days-long heat wave.
A Sumatran tiger cools off with a block of frozen fruit as temperatures hit 104°F at Rome Zoo in Italy on July 19. The Italian government has issued red alerts for 16 cities due to the searing, days-long heat wave. Photo: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images
Locals help firefighters as they try to extinguish a wildfire burning near the village Vlyhada near Athens on July 19, 2023 in Athens, Greece. Several forest fires raged on the outskirts of the Greek capital amid a relentless heatwave, with the most violent fire in the forest of Dervenohoria 50 km north of Athens where 140 firefighters, six water bombers and a helicopter battled the flames during high winds. France and Italy have sent planes to support the operation. The Acropolis of Athens and other archaeological sites in Greece announced reduced opening hours due to the heatwave conditions.
Locals residents help firefighters battle a wildfire burning in a village near Athens on July 19, as several forest fires raged on the outskirts of Greece's capital amid a relentless heat wave. The Acropolis and other archaeological sites in Greece announced reduced opening hours due to the heat. Photo: Milos Bicanski/Getty Images
A man pours water on his tent to provide relief from the extreme heat at the Haranbush camp for displaced people in Syria's northwestern rebel-held Idlib province on July 19, 2023.
A man pours water on his tent to provide relief from the extreme heat at the Haranabush camp for displaced people in Syria's northwestern rebel-held Idlib province on July 19. Temperatures have hit 104°F in some parts of the country and wildfires have erupted in rural areas in central Syria. Photo: Mohammed Al-Rifai/AFP via Getty Images
A man refreshes himself under a water fountain in the Danube bath. Until the weekend, the weather in Baden-Württemberg remains summer-friendly with temperatures up to 29 degrees - but showers are also expected.
A man refreshes himself under a water fountain in Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg. As the nearby state of Bavaria hit 101°F, German public health officials advised people to follow southern Europeans and take a midday siesta to beat the heat. Photo: Thomas Warnack/Picture Alliance via Getty Images
"Elvis" a Galapagos Tortoise is sprayed with water as staff at the Phoenix Zoo take extra measures to keep animals and guests cool during a record heat wave in Phoenix, Arizona on July 19, 2023.
A Galapagos tortoise is sprayed with water as staff at the Phoenix Zoo take extra measures to keep animals and guests cool during a record heat wave in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 19, as the city hit its 20th straight day with a temperature of over 110°F and set other new temperature records. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
An Iraqi security forces member standing guard at a demonstration against water scarcity and power outages rinses his face with water from a bottle to cool off in Baghdad on July 18, 2023 during a heat wave. Designated by the United Nations as one of the five countries in the world most touched by some effects of climate change, Iraq is experiencing its fourth consecutive summer of drought. In addition to declining rainfall and rising temperatures, Iraqi authorities say upstream dam construction by Turkey and Iran has affected the volume of water in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers through Iraq.
An Iraqi security forces member standing guard at a demonstration against water scarcity and power outages rinses his face with water from a bottle to cool off in Baghdad during a heat wave on July 18. Photo: Murtaja Lateef/AFP via Getty Images
Paramedics help a patient into an ambulance during a heat wave in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday, July 18, 2022. The heat wave killed 360 people dead in Spain between July 10 and 15, Instituto de Salud Carlos III said on Saturday.
Paramedics on July 18 help a patient into an ambulance during a heat wave in Barcelona, Spain, which officials say killed 360 across the country from July 10-15, Instituto de Salud Carlos III said on Saturday. Photo: Angel Garcia/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A man drinks water on July 18 at the Barcaccia fountain in Rome, Italy, as the city center hit a record 109.2°F. The European Space Agency warns the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia may see the continent's hottest-ever temperature of 118°F this week.
A man drinks water on July 18 at the Barcaccia fountain in Rome, Italy, as the city center hit a record 109.2°F. Photo: Pablo Esparza/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A view of an empty coffee after officials maintain alert level 2 as temperatures above 40 degrees in Madrid, Spain on July 18, 2023.
A usually busy cafe is empty in Madrid, Spain, at lunchtime on July 18 as officials issue extreme heat alerts with temperatures above 104°F. Photo: Juan Carlos Rojas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A woman (R) uses an umbrella to shelter from the midday sun as she looks Teddy Bears for sale at an outdoor antique market in downtown Tokyo on July 17, 2023.
Downtown Tokyo on July 17, as Japanese officials warn the heat has reached life-threatening levels as temperatures soared to about 104°F in some places, including the capital. Photo: Richard A. Brooks/AFP via Getty Images
An extreme heat danger sign at Badwater Basin, Death Valley National Park, on Monday, July 17, 2023, in Death Valley, CA. The temperature is 120 and climbing at today 10:00 am.
An extreme heat danger sign at Badwater Basin in California's Death Valley National Park on July 17. Photo: Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
People from working-class neighbourhoods bathe in the Mediterranean sea waters at a beach off La Goulette suburb of Tunis on July 17, 2023 during a heat wave.
People cool off in the Mediterranean Sea at a beach in Tunis, Tunisia, on July 17 after days of searing temperatures. Photo: Fethi Belaid/AFP via Getty Images
A wildfire near the resort town of Loutraki, east of Athens on July 17. The heat wave forced the temporary closure of the Acropolis monument in Greece's capital last week.
A wildfire near the resort town of Loutraki, east of Athens, on July 17. The heat wave forced the temporary closure of the Acropolis monument in Greece's capital last week. Photo: Valerie Gache/AFP via Getty Images
A worker cools off while working in a street during a heatwave in Sevilla, in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, on July 17, 2023. Scorching weather gripped three continents, whipping up wildfires and threatening to topple temperature records as the dire consequences of global warming take shape. Little reprieve is forecast for Spain, where the met agency warned of a new heatwave on July 17 through July 19 taking temperatures above 40C in the Canary Islands and the southern Andalusia region.
A worker cools off in a street during a heat wave in Sevilla, in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, on July 17, as extreme heat grips the country. Meanwhile, wildfires are burning across the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma. Photo: Cristina Quicler/AFP via Getty Images
A woman covers herself with a scarf in Avignon, southern France, on July 17, 2023.
A woman covers herself with a scarf amid hot conditions in Avignon in the south of France on July 17. Photo: Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images
A Romanian shepherd sitting on a donkey takes care of his herd of sheep while holding a large beer bottle in his hand on a warm day near Frecatei village in the eastern Dobrogea region of Romania, on July 17, 2023. Romania currently experiences an extreme heat wave in the west and south of the country with temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius.
A shepherd takes care of a herd of sheep while holding a beer bottle near Frecatei village in the eastern Dobrogea region of Romania on July 17, as much of the nation experiences temperatures of up to 105°F. Photo: Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images
Palestinian children play with water in a slum on the outskirts of the Beit Lahia in the northen Gaza Strip, on July 17, 2023, during a heat wave.
Palestinian children cool off with water in the northern Gaza Strip during a heat wave on July 17. Photo: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images
A person cools off amid searing heat that was forecast to reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit on July 16, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. A heat dome over Texas that has expanded to California, Nevada and Arizona is subjecting millions of Americans to excessive heat warnings, according to the National Weather Service. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
A person cools off amid searing heat on July 16 in Phoenix. The Arizona city hit its 19th consecutive day of high temperatures at or above 110°F two days later, tying its all-time record for such a stretch. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Tourists crowd a beach to cool off during a heat wave on July 16, 2023 in Dalian, Liaoning Province of China.
People crowd a beach to cool off during a heat wave in Dalian, Liaoning province of China, on July 16. Sanbao in China's Xinjiang region reported a new high for a mid-July temperature of 126°F. Photo: Wang Xizeng/VCG via Getty Images

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Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional photos, weather reports and details of wildfire evacuations.

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