TOKYO: Japan logged its hottest summer since 1898, when comparable records first became available, with the average temperature 2.36°C above normal, the weather agency said Monday, Kyodo News reported.
The reading for the three months from June to August topped the previous records set in both 2023 and 2024, when the mercury was 1.76°C above normal, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The reference temperature is the 30-year average from 1991 to 2020, the agency said.
With scorching conditions forecast to persist into September, the agency has urged the public to take precautions against heat-related emergencies.
The agency uses 15 observation points to calculate the nation’s average temperatures. The selected points exclude areas such as urban hot spots, which are more likely to be affected by the environment.
The number of locations topping 40°C reached 30, the highest on record.
A national record of 41.8°C was set in early August in Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture. – BERNAMA-KYODO
