Japan has experienced its hottest July since 1898, the National Meteorological Agency (JMA) said on Friday. An announcement that comes at a time when climate change favors stifling heat waves around the world.
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This is the third consecutive year that the archipelago records the highest monthly average temperature for a month in July, she said.
Temperatures in the country were 2.89 ° C higher than normal, “said the JMA, breaking the July 2024 record (2.16 ° C).
On Wednesday, Japan recorded a historic temperature of 41.2 ° C in the western region of Hyogo, after the country has already experienced a hottest month in its history.
“Next month should continue to bring intense warmth across the country,” warned the Japanese weather agency.
The archipelago also experienced low precipitation in July in a large number of regions, especially in the north of the archipelago and more particularly in the areas along the coast of the sea of Japan, she added.
This year, the rainy season ended in the west about three weeks earlier than usual.
Scientists say that climate change of human origin makes heat waves more intense, more frequent and more generalized.
Japanese meteorologists warn against any direct link between specific weather conditions (such as high heat at a given period) and long -term climate change. But they nevertheless observe that global warming feeds unpredictable weather phenomena in recent years.
The summer of 2024 had been the warmest ever recorded, tied with the record level observed in 2023, followed by the hottest fall since the statements starting 126 years ago.
The Japanese cherry trees, emblematic of the archipelago, flourish earlier due to warmer temperatures, even do not flourish completely, the falls and winters not being cold enough to trigger flowering.
Another striking signal: the iconic snowpack from Mont Fuji appeared last year in early November, against early October on average.