Extreme heat baked a broad swath of western and eastern Japan on Sunday, with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius in many major cities nationwide — a trend likely to continue through Wednesday.

In Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, the mercury hit 38.2 C, while nearby Miyazu, Kyoto Prefecture, saw the temperature rise to 37.3 C, according to data from the Meteorological Agency. The temperature in the city of Kyoto rose to 37.9 while the town of Gunge, on Hyogo Prefecture's Awaji Island hit 38 C. In Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, a high of 37.6 C was recorded.

The soaring temperatures came a day after the Kanto region was hit with sudden heavy downpours and thunderstorms, causing widespread disruptions in transportation and forcing the cancellation of the popular Adachi Fireworks Festival just 20 minutes before it was set to begin.

In the Hokuriku region and other areas west of Kanto, temperatures rose to around 35 C. Parts of the Tokai region, in particular, saw the mercury rise to around 38 C.

Shizuoka Prefecture's Tenryu Ward, in the city of Hamamatsu, marked a temperature of 38.5 C.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Agency said Sunday that the rainy season in the Chugoku and Kinki regions wrapped up two days later than average and five days later than last year.

The temperature also hit 37.5 C in the city of Gifu and around 36 C in the cities of Takamatsu, Tottori, Fukui, Toyama, Nagoya and Kumagaya, while the cities of Miyazaki, Okayama, Osaka, Tsu and Saitama saw temperatures of around 36 C.

Tokyo, as well as Naha, Kumamoto, Matsuyama, Kanazawa and Fukushima, all rose to 34 C or above.

Even in Hokkaido, many areas saw temperatures above 30 C, while much of the Tohoku region experienced similarly high temperatures.

For the next several days, there is unlikely to be a respite from the heat, with Tokyo and Osaka forecast to see highs above 35 C for three consecutive days, and Nagoya expected to see temperatures above 36 C through Wednesday.

As temperatures remained above 37 C in a number of areas across Japan in recent days, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said in its latest figures that 6,194 people had been taken to hospitals nationwide due to heatstroke from July 8 to 14. The risk of heatstroke is particularly high for the elderly, with individuals age 65 and older making up more than half of this total at 64%.

Climate change, primarily caused by the burning of fossil fuels, is pushing average temperatures higher around the world and is making heat waves and other extreme weather more likely.