AP PHOTOS: In unrelenting heat, millions plunge, drink and shelter to cool off

Millions around the world have been seeking refuge from the scorching sun as climate change, a strong El Nino and summer in the Northern Hemisphere converge, toppling temperature records.

In Phoenix, temperatures have hit 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) for 13 consecutive days. Volunteers are helping residents, typically hardened by the desert's sweltering summers and insulated by air conditioning, that now need relief.

The heat in the southwestern U.S. is so extreme that health officials have recommended that people limit their outdoor exposure and know the warning signs of heat illness, such as heavy sweating and dizziness.

In China — a nation suffering through a double-whammy of heat and flooding — people are resorting to pouring water on themselves to cool off from temperatures as high as 100 F (38 C). On Monday, employers across the country were ordered to limit outdoor work to protect their staff from the unforgiving heat.

Europe, particularly its south, is facing another unrelenting heat wave, with temperatures set to reach 113 F (45 C).

Further south in Algeria, where it was so hot last week that the country recorded its highest-ever nighttime low of 103.3 F (39.6 C) in the city of Adrar, temperatures kept soaring this week, with many carrying water through the heat of Algiers.

Scientists warn that people will suffer through sizzling temperatures throughout the summer, and for years to come, as the humans spew planet-warming gases into the atmosphere.

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