Axios

Wildfires, droughts, and extreme heat waves are raging through Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East and Asia as we head into the heat of fall.

The big picture: A heat wave and coinciding drought in China have no precedent in modern weather records, given the heat's severity and duration.

Dozens of large wildfires covered the U.S. West in smoke over the weekend, triggering air quality alerts across the region.

Why it matters: Wildfire smoke, especially when it coincides with high temperatures, can be hazardous to the health of humans even hundreds of miles away from the actual fire because it carries harmful microscopic particles that can trigger inflammation in the lungs.