Weather tracker: extremes of heat and cold hit South and North America

Conditions in parts of South America up to 10C above average as US records its coldest ever temperature

Unrelenting and record-breaking heat is expected to continue across parts of South America this week. Temperatures are forecast to easily reach the mid-to-high 30s celsius for Chile, Argentina, and Paraguay, with maximum temperatures possibly reaching 40C across northern Argentina.

These temperatures are at least 5-10C above the climatological average, with the extreme heat expected to continue at least until the middle part of February.