The Japan Meteorological Agency announced on August 2 that July 2024 was the hottest month on record since monitoring began in 1898. The average temperature for the month was 2.16 degrees Celsius higher than the average recorded from 1991 to 2020. In some areas, temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius in seven locations.
So far this year, 3,509 instances of “extreme heat”, defined as temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius or higher, have been recorded across 914 monitoring sites nationwide. This surpasses the previous peak of 3,127 instances recorded in July 2018.
The agency attributed the intense heat to high-pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean, which led to exceptionally high temperatures, especially in early and late July. On July 29, numerous locations across Japan experienced record-high temperatures, with Sano City in Tochigi Prefecture hitting 41.0 degrees Celsius.
In August 2020, temperatures reached a record high of 41.1 degrees Celsius in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, matching the all-time high recorded in July 2018 in Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture.
With the heat expected to continue into August, the public has been advised to take precautions against heat-related illnesses, such as using air conditioning and staying hydrated.
