Dozens of countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia are facing extreme heat and the risk of forest fires, as the climate crisis changes the world, lengthening and exacerbating the conditions that favor the outbreak of fire.

The United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday it will examine whether new record high temperatures have been set in many regions from the United States to China, while the effects of climate change manifest in the form of wildfires from Canada to Greece and deadly floods in South Korea, which have claimed the lives of at least 40 people.

The WMO estimates that the record for the highest temperature recorded in Europe – 48.8 degrees Celsius in 2021 in Sicily – could be “broken” this week, as Italy has put 23 of its 27 largest cities on heat alert.

The image on Francewhere the public health service has warned that the high temperatures will lead to the hospital or cause the death of “many”, according to the Reuters agency.

In Spainmore than 4,000 people had to leave their homes and accommodations in the tourist resort of La Palmaat Canary Islandsdue to a large forest fire, while data collected by the Bloomberg agency show that the mercury in Madrid today it will exceed 40 degrees Celsius. Even at an altitude of 1,000 meters in the Pyrenees, the temperature did not drop below 20°C last night for the first time.

To Canadawhich has been hit by hundreds of wildfires since the beginning of the summer, more than 570 fires are estimated to remain out of control

In the Phoenix of the United States, the temperature has been “stuck” above the 43 degree Celsius mark for 18 consecutive days and it is possible that the streak will continue for another week. At the same time, however, local flood warnings are in effect on the east coast.

In northwest China the thermometers showed 52.2 degrees on Sunday, which if confirmed would constitute a national record.

According to the WMO the highest certified temperature, 56.7°C, was recorded in 1913 in the so-called Death Valley, California, where these days the readings consistently exceed 50 degrees. The second highest temperature, 55 degrees, dates from 1931, in Tunisia.