Extreme heat in countries around the world

Many parts of the world are currently experiencing above-average temperatures, and meteorologists say this is mainly the result of global warming.

While some areas are seeing cold conditions, many areas are reporting temperatures much warmer than average. According to Chris Fox of BBC Weather, these heat waves are “the mark of climate change.”

Extreme heat can be deadly – the 2003 heatwave in Europe killed 30,000 people – but prolonged high temperatures can also increase the risk of wildfires, which have already raged in parts of California in the US.

Large parts of the world, including North America, South and East Asia, and South-eastern Europe, are currently experiencing extreme temperatures.

Nearly one in five Americans — more than 70 million people — are currently under warnings about extreme temperatures because high pressure has created a “heat dome” that traps warm air beneath it.

Warnings are also in place in four Canadian provinces — New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec.

Three people were killed on the Mexican coast, while the US National Hurricane Center warned of “life-threatening” flooding and landslides in northeastern Mexico and southern Texas.

The heat has broken electricity consumption records as people turn on fans and air conditioning, leading to power cuts in Delhi on Monday. Water supply in the city has also been affected.

Dozens of people have died from heat since the summer heat began in India in March, with 50 dying in a three-day period in Uttar Pradesh and Odisha earlier this month.

Summers in India are usually hot and humid, but this year the heat has been exceptionally harsh, with longer, more intense and frequent heat waves.

More than 1,000 people have died during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, according to a report by the AFP news agency, which has not been confirmed by the BBC.

Although accidents and fires have caused deaths during the Hajj before, the Saudi National Meteorological Center recorded a temperature of 52 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit) at Mecca's Grand Mosque earlier this week, according to AFP.

Saudi authorities are distributing water to pilgrims and advising people not to go out between 10am and 5pm, the hottest time of the day.

Several deaths have been reported in Greece during the country's first extreme heatwave.

Greek authorities have decided to close the Acropolis in Athens in recent days, while schools have been shut. Firefighters are also working on a wildfire on the island of Lesvos.

Although Greece experiences extreme heat during the summer, meteorologists say winds blowing from North Africa are raising temperatures.