Weather officials in Japan say the country has just experienced its second-hottest summer on record.
The Meteorological Agency released a report based on data from June to August. It says the average temperature was 0.91 degrees Celsius warmer than usual.
The figure is the second-highest since record-keeping began in 1898. The highest was in 2010.
The mercury soared especially in eastern and western Japan, and the Okinawa and Amami regions.
The report says the average sea surface temperature in waters near Japan this summer was 0.8 degrees warmer than usual. That's the highest since record-keeping began in 1982, tying with 2001 and 2016.
Officials say the higher temperature was because of a Pacific high-pressure system that extended mainly over waters south of Japan. They also say global warming may have been a factor. ...continue reading
