{
  "id": 6530539,
  "title": "June to August period hottest on record for 1.3 billion people",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/june-to-august-period-hottest-on-record-for-1-3-billion-people",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-10T02:20:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/09/10/june-to-august-period-hottest-on-record-for-1-3-billion-people"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In June through August, a record-breaking heatwave swept across the globe, affecting an estimated 1.3 billion people. According to an AFP analysis of meteorological data from the European Copernicus programme, 52 countries on every continent set seasonal temperature records. Record temperatures were reported in various forms, including unprecedented heatwaves in Europe, severe drought in Sudan, and toxic smoke in Indonesia. While some countries, like France and Britain, reported record temperatures officially, many less-equipped nations lacked detailed climate data. The climate phenomenon El Nino, expected to intensify later in the year, has already been linked to extreme heat in Central America and northern South America, where nine countries saw their hottest June-August period on record. El Salvador experienced temperatures 2.5 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average, breaking monthly records from May to August. In Panama, drought led to reduced ship traffic through the Panama Canal, which handles five percent of global maritime trade. The natural weather pattern also contributed to an exceptional dry spell in Indonesia, where nearly 100 million people endured the hottest June-August period on record. The drought ignited fires in tropical jungles on Borneo and Sumatra, causing respiratory issues that spread to Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia. Over 35,000 excess deaths in Western and Southern Europe were attributed to the heatwave, according to AFP estimates. The majority of those affected lived in Germany, England, Austria, Belgium, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and Portugal. Africa, particularly the Sahel region, saw the highest concentration of those impacted by the record-breaking summer, with 18 African nations breaking their seasonal temperature records. In Sudan, temperatures exceeded the 1991-2020 average by over 2 degrees Celsius, a rare occurrence at these latitudes. The Nile River is at an abnormally low level in the war-torn country, which is already grappling with the world's worst food crisis. Other regions experiencing record heat included Uzbekistan, India's west coast, Melbourne and Canberra in Australia, and the US states of Utah and Colorado.",
  "summary": "The extreme heat has taken many forms, from unprecedented heatwaves in Europe to devastating drought in Sudan and toxic smoke in Indonesia.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Times",
        "title": "Pakistan registers $3.7 billion in remittances for August 2026",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/pakistan-registers-3-7-billion-in-remittances-for-august-2026",
        "published": "2026-09-10T00:37:26.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "June to August period hottest on record for 1.3 billion people",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/june-to-august-period-hottest-on-record-for-1-3-billion-people-6531528",
        "published": "2026-09-10T02:20:23.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}