Overview

• Seventeen locations set all-time highs on August 4, including 40.3°C in Komatsu and 39.8°C in Toyama.
• July marked a third consecutive hottest month on record, averaging nearly 3°C above the 1991–2020 norm with a 41.2°C peak in Tamba.
• Low rainfall and sustained heat have left several northern reservoirs nearly empty, prompting farmers to fear water shortages and poor harvests.
• Scientists say human-driven warming is intensifying and increasing the frequency of heatwaves even as meteorologists warn against attributing single events solely to climate change.
• Forecast rains beginning August 7 are expected to bring temperatures back toward seasonal averages after weeks of record-breaking heat.