Summer 2024 in Japan Was Hottest On Record
This summer in Japan has been the hottest on record — something that anyone in the country who has been outside won't be surprised to hear.
Between the start of June and the end of August, the average temperature was 1.76 degrees Celsius higher than the average temperature between 1991 and 2020.
In 2023, the average temperature was also 1.76 degrees higher, but this year the country has had more extremely hot days.
During July and August, there were 8,821 instances of "extreme heat" — when the temperature got to 35 degrees Celsius or above — in different parts of the country.
There were 6,685 of these instances in 2023.
Across the country, temperature records were broken or matched in 144 of 914 observation points during June, July and August.
More than 73,000 people were taken to hospital by ambulance suffering from heatstroke, and the government has warned people to take care as temperatures stay high.
Some people have chosen to stay inside with their air conditioning, and things like children's sports matches have been canceled because of the hot weather.
However, not everyone is able to stay inside when it's hot, including those whose jobs must be done in all temperatures, like farmers or builders.
But while it's been hot, parts of Japan also had a very wet summer. On the Pacific east coast, rainfall records were broken in August as a typhoon swept through the area.
Climate scientists have said that 2024 could be the hottest year on record, as the planet continues to get warmer.
