Last month saw the second-highest number of scorching days for a July, and meteorologists predict that the sweltering heat is likely to persist throughout August and September.
During July, temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius — classified as “extremely hot days,” or "mо̄shobi" — were recorded at 2,435 locations, making it the second-highest count for the month since the Meteorological Agency began keeping such records in 2012.
A Pacific high-pressure system has dominated the weather pattern this summer, leading to an unusually long heat wave. The influence of global warming and the El Nino climate phenomenon have also contributed to the searing heat, the agency said.