Sweltering temperatures across Japan have left at least three people dead while 3,000 others were rushed to hospital due to heatstroke, officials said.
The organisers of the Sochi Winter Olympics played down concerns that spring-like temperatures could harm the Games, saying every event was on schedule and a strong contingency plan was in place.
The usually balmy US South was paralyzed Wednesday by a freak snowstorm that forced thousands of children to shelter in schools overnight and left thousands of motorists stranded on icy roads.
Australians sweltering through a severe heatwave were warned Thursday that the worst is yet to come, with hundreds of fires raging in several states and temperatures nearing record highs.
Millions of people across the United States on Monday made last minute preparations for an unusually bitter Arctic blast that could send temperatures plummeting to their coldest in 20 years.
A fierce winter storm has caused chaos in the United States since the start of the year, killing 11 people, canceling thousands of flights and bringing freezing temperatures to Canada.