【真夏並みの暑さ】北海道で気温が上昇し富良野で最高気温31.1度を観測―札幌でも28.7度を記録し噴水で涼む人の姿も―夏の味覚「でんすけすいか」の収穫も始まる〈北海道〉

On June 18th, temperatures rose throughout Hokkaido from the morning, with Furano recording a high of 31.1 degrees Celsius, making it feel like midsummer. "Today in Sapporo, the temperature exceeded 28 degrees. The sun is beating down so hard that people are using parasols or covering their heads with shirts," said announcer Miyu Itabashi. Sapporo also recorded a high of 28.7 degrees Celsius, and many people were seen cooling off at the fountain in Odori Park. "28 degrees in Hokkaido is definitely hot. I'm worried about what July and August will be like," said a Sapporo resident. "I was at Cape Soya until the 17th and it was cool, so I'm surprised it's so hot in Sapporo," said a parent and child from Shiga Prefecture. Five people were taken to the hospital in Hokkaido due to heatstroke caused by the heat. The heat is expected to continue until the 20th, and then subside from the 21st onwards. Amidst all this, the harvest of "Densuke watermelons," a summer delicacy of Hokkaido known for their jet-black rind, has begun. In Toma Town, watermelon farmers began harvesting in the morning, collecting approximately 120 watermelons. "We had some trouble managing the temperature due to the continued cloudy days, but the watermelons did their best to grow," said watermelon farmer Kazuhiko Ibayashi. The harvested "Densuke watermelons" will be auctioned for the first time on the 19th in Sapporo and Asahikawa. At the 2019 first auction, they were sold for a record high of 700,000 yen per watermelon in Sapporo and 750,000 yen per watermelon in Asahikawa. "The celebratory price (at the first auction) reflects the evaluation of those who ate last year's watermelons. We hope they will be evaluated as usual," said Ibayashi.