Jul 19 (NHK) - The rainy season has ended across Japan, pushing up the temperature in the city of Sapporo in the country's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido to record levels.
The Meteorological Agency on Monday announced the end of the rainy season in Shikoku in the country's west, following all other regions.
Shortly before 2 p.m. the temperature in Sapporo reached 35 degrees Celsius for the first time since 2000.
Temperatures soared to 37.3 degrees in the cities of Oshu in Iwate Prefecture and Koshu in Yamanashi Prefecture, 37.1 degrees in Kiryu City in Gunma Prefecture and Kyoto City, and 35.2 degrees in Fukuoka City.
Temperatures also topped 34 degrees in Tokyo and the cities of Nagoya and Takamatsu.
Weather officials are urging people to refrain from going out, stay hydrated and use air conditioning to avoid heatstroke.
People are also advised to remove face masks and rest when outdoors if they can maintain proper social distancing.
Rising temperatures are making atmospheric conditions unstable, with rain clouds developing in some places, including Hokkaido.
Weather officials say radar analysis shows about 90 millimeters of rain fell in the town of Ashoro in Hokkaido in the hour to 3:10 pm.
Weather officials are warning of flooding in low-lying areas, swollen rivers, landslides, lightning and tornadoes.
Source: ANNnewsCH
