LONDON: The UK, Japan and South Korea sweltered this year through the hottest summers since each country began keeping records, their weather agencies said Monday. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change creates ever more erratic weather patterns. The UK’s provisional mean June-August temperature was 16.1C, which was 1.51C above the long-term average and surpassed all years since 1884, including the previous record, set in 2018, the Met Office said.

The prolonged heat is disrupting Japan’s natural cycles, causing cherry trees to bloom earlier and Mount Fuji’s snowcap to appear later.

Mean temperature over June, July and August was 16.1C as country endured four heatwaves