Chinese region records temperature peak of 126 degrees Fahrenheit

China on Monday reported a temperature record of 126 degrees Fahrenheit in the northwest of the country over the weekend, setting a record for mid-July.

A weather station in the Xinjiang region's Sanbao village "recorded a temperature peak of 52.2 degrees Celsius at 19:00 on July 16, breaking the historic heat record for the same period of the year", the China Meteorological Administration said in a statement.

The previous record of 123 degrees Fahrenheit was reported in July 2017, according to the statement.

Sanbao lies on the outskirts of Turpan city, where authorities have told workers and students to stay home and ordered special vehicles to spray water on major thoroughfares, the meteorological body said. Ground surface temperatures reached 176 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of Turpan on Sunday, according to the statement.

The Northern Hemisphere has endured record-setting summer heatwaves in recent weeks, which scientists said are being exacerbated by climate change. Chinese authorities have warned of extreme weather and "multiple natural disasters" this summer.

In Japan, heatstroke alerts were issued in 32 out of the country’s 47 prefectures, mainly in central and southwestern regions. At least 60 people in Japan were treated for heatstroke, local media reported.

In Western and southern states in the U.S., which are used to high temperatures, more than 80 million people were under advisories as a "widespread and oppressive" heatwave roasted the region. California's Death Valley, often among the hottest places on Earth, also reached a near-record 125.6 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday afternoon.