California feels the heat by Liam Dutton
The heat has also been on across the other side of the Atlantic Ocean over the past two weeks. In the USA, California has seen record breaking heat with temperatures soaring as high as 48°C (118°F) close to Los Angeles.
Officials have confirmed that the heat wave is likely to have been a contributing factor in an increased number of sudden fatalities, with the old and very young being particularly affected.
The high temperatures have also affected farming, with 700,000 fowl and 25,000 cattle lost in central parts of the state.
Authorities say it has been around 50 years since such intense heat has persisted across the state for this length of time.
The heat has been widespread across much of the USA. High temperatures, combined with lightning strikes from storms have sparked off wildfires in numerous states.
Nevada currently has wildfires scorching 160 square miles of land, with the Big Rocks Wilderness area seeing some of the worst conditions. The National Fire Information Center says that this is the largest individual area of land to be scorched by wildfires so far this year.
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