Heat, Fire, Dark: World Faces Extreme Weather Fury

Western Australia is currently battling extreme heat and widespread bushfires, with forecasts indicating temperatures will remain above 40C for several days. This follows devastating bushfires in New South Wales earlier this month that destroyed homes and claimed lives. Heatwave warnings have also been extended to parts of South Australia and New South Wales as a high-pressure system moves east.

Elsewhere, Brazil's largest city, São Paulo, suffered a city-wide blackout. Strong winds caused extensive damage to the power grid, bringing down trees and power lines, leaving over a million residents without electricity and disrupting air travel. This extreme weather stands in stark contrast to California's Central Valley, which is mired in unprecedented Tule fog, causing the longest streak of temperatures below 8C in over three decades.