Millions of people in western Canada and the northwestern United States were under heat alerts on June 30 as the region baked in record-breaking temperatures and police reported scores of deaths likely linked to the scorching conditions. A heatwave swept across various regions. People are finding different ways to deal with the scorching heat. (Image: AFP)

The heatwave has stretched emergency services, with at least 134 people dying suddenly since June 25 in the Vancouver area and hundreds more across British Columbia. (Image: AFP)

The northwestern US state of Washington recorded at least 16 deaths related to the heatwave, including two who died of hyperthermia as their bodies overheated, county health officials said. (Image: AFP)

Soaring temperatures in California's valley, mountain and desert areas raised fears of wildfires amid windy dry conditions, with lightning storms that could spark blazes forecast across several parts of the western United States. (Image: AFP)

Canada set a new all-time high temperature record for a third day in a row on June 29, reaching 121 degrees Fahrenheit (49.5 degrees Celsius) in Lytton, about 155 miles (250 kilometers) east of Vancouver, the country's weather service, Environment Canada, reported. (Image: AFP)

The Pacific coast city for several days recorded temperatures around 90 degrees Fahrenheit -- almost 20 degrees above seasonal norms. (Image: AFP)

Climate change is causing record-setting temperatures to become more frequent. Globally, the decade to 2019 was the hottest recorded, and the five hottest years have all occurred within the last five years. (Image: AFP)

The scorching heat stretching to Canada's Arctic territories has been blamed on a high-pressure "heat dome" trapping warm air in the region. (Image: AFP)

Temperatures in the US Pacific Northwest cities of Portland and Seattle reached levels not seen since record-keeping began in the 1940s: 115 degrees Fahrenheit in Portland and 108 in Seattle on June 28. (Image: AFP)

The heatwave has forced schools and Covid-19 vaccination centres to close in the Vancouver area, while officials set up temporary water fountains and misting stations on street corners. Cities across the western United States and Canada opened emergency cooling centers and outreach workers handed out bottles of water and hats. (Image: AFP)

Deadly heatwave slams Canada and US, leaves hundreds dead

The record-breaking heatwave has forced cities in the western US and Canada to open cooling centres, hand out bottles of water and hats. The scorcher is being blamed on a high-pressure "heat dome" trapping warm air in the region