RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Brazil, the biggest economy in Latin America, issued a new "high danger" alert on Monday due to temperatures that are at least 5 degrees Celsius higher than the historical average for this time of year, with a thermal sensation of 58 degrees Celsius registered in parts of Rio de Janeiro in southeast Brazil.

Folha de Sao Paulo, a local newspaper, said the sweltering weather affects 116 million people in 2,707 cities, citing data from the Meteorological Institute (Inmet). Temperatures went above 40 degrees in more than 43 cities.

There has been a 16.8 percent increase in energy demand since the beginning of November due to the El Nino phenomenon, which left the waters of the Atlantic Ocean warmer and reduced humidity in a large part of the country, including in Sao Paulo, according to Inmet.