US extreme heat intensifies as heatwave spreads coast to coast

More than 110 million people continue to be affected by extreme heat as warnings are issued from coast to coast. 

A heat dome over the US south-west could see temperature records being broken in as many as 38 cities. 

In Las Vegas, the intense heatwave is threatening to break the city’s record high of 117F (47.2C). 

The US isn’t the only country battling extreme heat – with Europe also being affected by rising temperatures, and Canada battling the worse season of wildfires in its history. 

Hundreds of firefighters have been battling brush fires in extreme heat and low humidity on the outskirts of Los Angeles. 

Temperatures in Death Valley in California hit 128F (53.9C) on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). It is the site of the hottest temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth: 134F (56.7C).

Meanwhile, other parts of the US are bracing themselves for severe thunderstorms and flash floods – and north-eastern states could experience another bout of poor air quality as a result of the continuing wildfires in Canada.