Record highs scorch the globe as Europe prepares for heatwave peak

ROME - More temperature records were expected to tumble on Tuesday as Europe awaited the peak of a punishing heatwave as wildfires scorched swathes of the Northern Hemisphere.

Health authorities have sounded alarms from North America to Europe and Asia, urging people to stay hydrated and shelter from the burning sun, in a stark reminder of the effects of global warming.

Europe, the world's fastest-warming continent, was bracing for its hottest-ever temperature on Italy's islands of Sicily and Sardinia, where a high of 48 degrees Celsius has been forecast by the European Space Agency.

Near Athens, emergency services were battling wildfires in Kouvaras and the resorts of Lagonissi, Anavyssos and Saronida.

In Europe, Italians were warned to prepare for "the most intense heatwave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time" as temperatures hit a near-record 39C in Rome on Monday.

Spain enjoyed little reprieve, with temperatures of 44.7C reported Monday in the southern town of Jaen.

In Cyprus, where temperatures are expected to remain above 40C through Thursday, a 90-year-old man died as a result of heatstroke and three other seniors were hospitalised, health officials said.

Parts of Asia have baked in record temperatures, triggering torrential rain.

China reported a new high for mid-July in the northwest of the country, where temperatures reached 52.2C in the Xinjiang region's village of Sanbao, breaking the previous high of 50.6C set six years ago.

Heatstroke alerts had been issued in 32 of Japan's 47 prefectures, mainly in central and southwestern regions.