A woman in Guangzhou takes her child on a morning walk, armed with a hand fan and portable electric fan, on Tuesday. Prolonged high temperatures have hit the South China metropolis since May, with some areas reaching 37 C. Photo: VCG

A worker is drenched in sweat while leveling coal on Friday in Jiujiang, East China’s Jiangxi province. The world experienced its hottest week on record from July 3 to July 9, according to preliminary data from the World Meteorological Organization. Photo: VCG

A rider wears a mask to protect herself from the sun in Beijing on July 5. Temperatures in parts of Beijing reached 40.9 C that afternoon. Photo: Jia Tianyong/China News Service, VCG

People attempt to cool down in the waters of Xiangyang, Central China’s Hubei province, on Sunday. Photo: VCG

The mercury soared to 45 C on Sunday in Kyffhäuserland, Germany. Photo: VCG

A security guard walks past an overhead water misting system in Tokyo on Monday. Photo: Philip Fong/VCG

A man cycles through a fountain on Monday in Turin, Italy. The country is grappling with its first major heatwave of the year, with temperatures on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia expected to reach 48 C. Photo: Stefano Guidi/VCG

Dead fish lay on the dried up water bed of the Al-Ezz River in Maysan, Iraq on Wednesday. The prolonged low water levels due to the hot temperature led to the loss of river life. Photo: Haidar Mohammed Ali/VCG

The heat wave kept water levels low at the Woodhead Reservoir in Glossop, the U.K., on July 3. Photo: Christopher Furlong/VCG