Much of Japan remained in the grip of scorching heat on Saturday with the daytime high in Fukushima Prefecture reaching 40 degrees Celsius.

The Meteorological Agency says sunny weather pushed up temperatures from northeastern to southwestern Japan.

The city of Date in Fukushima became the first city in the country to experience 40 degrees Celsius this summer.

A daytime high of 39.5 degrees was recorded in Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture, 39.4 degrees in Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture, and 39 degrees just in Maizuru City, Kyoto Prefecture. In central Tokyo, temperatures rose above 35 degrees for the 16th day this year, tying with a record set last year.

Heatstroke alerts have been issued in 28 prefectures across the country as the sweltering heat is expected to prevail on Sunday.

Meanwhile, an active rain front has brought intermittent heavy rain to some parts of the northern prefecture of Hokkaido.

Haboro Town had 165 millimeters of rain within 72 hours until 6 p.m. on Saturday. The precipitation exceeded the average for the entire month of August.

Weather officials are urging people to stay vigilant for landslides, flooding in low-lying areas and swollen rivers.