Sydney, Australia, Hit 117 Degrees While the U.S. Froze This Weekend

Temperature extremes across the globe spanned more than 185 degrees Farenheit at the weekend as Sydney melted and parts of the U.S. froze.

Western Sydney touched 117 degrees on Sunday afternoon local time, the city’s hottest day since 1939. Weekend temperatures at Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire plummeted to minus 36 degrees.

Roads melted, firefighters battled wildfires across New South Wales state and Sydney residents retreated to air-conditioned shopping malls as temperatures surged. English cricket captain Joe Root was hospitalized with severe dehydration after battling Australia in the cauldron of the Sydney Cricket Ground.

At the same time, freezing fog and snow buffeted Mount Washington, tying the observatory for the second-coldest place on Earth.