The mercury soared to 41 Celsius in central Japan on Wednesday, tying with the second-highest temperature recorded in the country, amid a heat wave continuing to grip western regions of the country, the weather agency said.

In addition to Mino, Gifu Prefecture, where the mercury hit 41 C, it also rose to 40.5 C in Gero in the prefecture and 38.3 C in Nagoya in neighboring Aichi Prefecture, according to the Meteorological Agency. The agency warned the public of the risk of heat exhaustion.

The temperature climbed over 40 C in the central region earlier this week and last week as well, after Japan recorded its highest ever temperature of 41.1 C in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, on July 23.

The agency forecasts that western Japan will also face high temperatures on Thursday due to the influence of a high pressure zone over the Yellow Sea.