While North America grappled with widespread cold and wintry conditions last week, South America – now in its final month of summer – faced the opposite extreme, with record high temperatures recorded across the continent. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s second largest city, temperatures at its Guaratiba weather station soared to 44C last Monday, 14C above the February norm and the highest temperature recorded in the city for more than a decade. In addition to the high temperatures, Rio has also experienced what is expected to be one of its driest Februarys on record, with little rain so far this month and minimal precipitation expected in the next week. Authorities activated a level 4 heat protocol early last week as a result of the extreme heat, prompting the setup of hydration stations at outdoor events and public spaces, as well as the designation of air-conditioned buildings as “cooling points”.

Although temperatures in Brazil have since returned closer to average, the focus of the heat has shifted southwards. North-western Argentina is set for highs in the upper 30s to low 40s Celsius in the coming days, 10 to 15C above the seasonal average. However, unlike in Rio, these high temperatures are likely to set off thunderstorms, some of which may lead to some high rainfall totals in places.

The intense heat across South America has largely been driven by high pressure situated over the southern Atlantic, which has allowed air to sink, compress and warm as it travels towards southern parts of the continent.

In contrast to the high temperatures in Brazil and Argentina, temperatures in Canada’s Saskatchewan province plunged into the negative 40s Celsius last Monday, while North Dakota in the US had a minimum of -37.8C. As a result, a temperature difference of more than 80C was observed between the two American continents on the same day.

Meanwhile, central and eastern Africa are facing extreme heat, too. An ongoing heatwave – largely affecting South Sudan and parts of Chad, Central African Republic and Sudan – continues to bring temperatures in the low 40s Celsius. In South Sudan, schools have been told to shut for two weeks for the second year in a row due to high temperatures in order to prevent further students from collapsing under the unrelenting heat. Forecasts for the region show very little respite, with the potential for heatwave conditions to continue into March.