Bangkok city authorities have issued an extreme heat warning in anticipation of a heat index of more than 52 degrees Celsius.
On Wednesday, the temperature in the concrete massif of the Thai capital reached 40.1 degrees Celsius, and a similar temperature is forecast for Thursday.
This week, a wave of exceptionally hot weather swept across South and Southeast Asia, schools closed in the Philippines due to the heat, and worshipers prayed for rain in Bangladesh.
The heat index represents the perceived temperature, taking into account humidity, wind speed and other factors. It has reached “extremely dangerous” levels in Bangkok, the city’s environment department warned. Authorities in the kingdom’s northeastern Udon Thani province also issued a scorching heat warning on Thursday.
The Ministry of Health reported late on Wednesday that from January 1 until April 17 30 people died from heat stroke. Throughout 2023 the heat killed 37 people.
Officials urge the elderly and people with health problems, including obesity, to stay indoors and drink plenty of water.
April is usually the hottest time of year in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, but this year conditions have been exacerbated by the El Nino phenomenon. Record levels of heat stress were recorded around the world last year, and the United Nations Weather and Climate Agency said Asia was warming particularly fast.
The kingdom has been gripped by a heat wave this week, with northern Lampang province recording a temperature of 44.2 degrees Celsius on Monday, just shy of the all-time record high of 44.6 degrees Celsius last year.
In neighboring Myanmar, the thermometer rose to 45.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, with more expected on Thursday. Due to the chaos and conflict that ensued after 2021. coup by the military, many parts of the country are constantly experiencing power outages, as a result of which people are unable to cool themselves with fans and air conditioners.
