Europe, US struggle to beat the heat as temperatures soar

A kid refreshes himself at the Folsom lake, while extreme weather conditions, including record-breaking heat waves, are the latest sign of climate change in the western United States, near Sacramento, California, US, August 15, 2022. (REUTERS)

Horses gather around two hay bins on a dried-out meadow in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Aug. 23, 2022. German agriculture suffers from a long and warm weather period without rain. (AP)

People walk as underwater rocks emerge from the water of Lake Garda after northern Italy experienced the worst drought in 70 years in Sirmione, Italy, August 16, 2022. Parts of the European Union could face three more months of warmer and drier conditions as Europe weathers a major drought that has fuelled forest fires, dried up rivers and devastated crops, the 27-nation bloc's Earth observation program is warning in a report. (REUTERS)

A dried-up area of the Shasta lake. Extreme weather conditions are the latest sign of climate change in the western United States, California, US, August 18, 2022. (REUTERS)

A general view of a drought-stricken Shasta lake, California, US, August 18, 2022. (REUTERS)

Livestock is seen in a dry field near Sacramento, California, US, August 17, 2022. (REUTERS)

A boy cools off in a public fountain in Vilnius, Lithuania, Aug. 19, 2022. Hot weather has set in with temperatures rising up to 34 degree Celsius (93.2 degrees Fahrenheit) in Lithuania. “Warmer and drier than usual conditions are likely to occur in the western Euro-Mediterranean region in the coming months till November 2022,” notably in Spain and Portugal, the EU's Copernicus program said in a report for the month of August. (AP)

People enjoy themselves in a natural pool in the Zezere river after a forest fire in Vale Glaciar, Manteigas which is part of the Serra da Estrela, in Portugal, Aug. 18, 2022. Almost half of the 27-nation EU is under drought warning, with conditions worsening in Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, and Spain. (AP)

A regional commuter train passes dry fields in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, as the sun rises, Aug. 23, 2022. The report also noted rising drought hazards outside the EU, in Britain, Serbia, Ukraine and Moldova. (AP)

People wait to cross the street at Marble Arch during a heatwave in London, Britain, August 13, 2022. The report comes amid what experts say could be the continent's worst drought in 500 years. Little significant rainfall has been recorded for almost two months, but Europe isn't alone. (REUTERS)

The sun rises behind the London skyline, Richmond Park, London, Britain, August 8, 2022. The Danube – Europe's second-longest river, stretching from Germany's Black Forest to the Black Sea in eastern Romania – has dropped to one of the lowest levels recorded in the past century. (REUTERS)