Japan's average temperature in 2019 hits record high, up nearly a degree from normal
The average temperature in Japan in 2019 hit the highest level since records began in 1898 and was nearly a degree warmer than in a typical year, according to the Meteorological Agency. The temperature exceeded the normal-year level by 0.92 degree Celsius, the agency said ...
New fire flares in southeast Australia; other areas start assessing damage
A dangerous fire flared up in southeastern Australia on Sunday even as cooler conditions elsewhere allowed authorities to begin assessing the damage from blazes that swept through two states on Saturday. Officials told residents and others in the New South Wales (NSW) state town of ...
Australia declares state of emergency as record heat fans bush-fires
Australian authorities declared a seven-day state of emergency in New South Wales state Thursday as a record heat wave fanned unprecedented bush fires raging across the region. Some 100 fires have been burning for weeks in the state, with half of those uncontained, including a ...
Australia this week experienced its hottest day on record and the heat wave is expected to worsen, exacerbating an already unprecedented bush-fire season, authorities said Wednesday. The average nationwide temperatures of 40.9 degrees Celsius (105.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday beat the previous record of 40.3 ...
IOC planning to move Tokyo Olympic marathon north to Sapporo in bid to avoid heat
The plan is the latest in a series of countermeasures being taken to protect athletes, spectators and volunteers from the nation’s infamously hot summer heat.
Sizzling summer threatens Tokyo 2020, Osaka Expo
The summer of 2019 brought record-breaking heat. Early to mid-September, until last week, felt like late July in Kansai, Tokyo, Nagoya and parts of Kyushu and Shikoku. Only in a few areas of Hokkaido, where temperatures dropped into the low teens at night, were ...
Cold comfort: Tokyo Olympic planners test fake snow to beat the heat
Tokyo 2020 organizers blasted volunteers with fake snow on Friday as they trial ever more extreme methods to beat the heat ahead of the games. But instead of light fluffy snowflakes, the crowd, consisting mainly of Tokyo 2020 staff, was pelted with fairly coarse shards ...
France's summer heat waves claimed 1,500 more lives than average, minister says
Two heatwaves that hit France this summer claimed more than 1,500 more lives, Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said Sunday. But that toll was significantly lower than the disastrous summer of 2003, when an estimated 15,000 people died during an August heatwave. "We have 1,500 deaths recorded ...
Speed bumps and potholes on the road to 2020 Tokyo Olympics
When planners proposed the opening date of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, they pored over historical weather data in search of the day with the lowest statistical likelihood of rain. It turned out to be Oct. 10. Happily that day, a Saturday, was fine. As ...
Organizers for Tokyo Games considering using artificial snow to fight heat
The organizing committee for the Tokyo Games is considering using artificial snow to ease the expected summer heat during the events, officials said Wednesday. The committee will test the cooling effects of artificial snow sprayed onto uncovered seats at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo's ...
Spring frosts, hail and heat wave put dent in French wine output
French wine production will fall 12 percent this year after vines were damaged by spring frosts, drought and hail, but quality will remain generally good, the agriculture ministry said on Tuesday. In its second estimate for 2019, the ministry forecast production of 43.4 million hectolitres, ...
Tokyo prepares for summer heat of 2020 Olympics with more ambulances and language support
While organizers are striving to mitigate heat risks for visitors, it is also seen as necessary to plan for a large number of people requiring medical attention.
