South East Asia has been coping with a heatwave as record-high temperatures led to school closings in several countries and urgent health warnings throughout the region.
Scientists have said the number of heat-related deaths around the world has been rising significantly in recent years along with temperatures, but the trend in Asia this year so far is unclear, partly because of the question of how to classify deaths that appear to be heat related.
In Thailand, temperatures have topped 44 degrees in some areas in the northern parts of the country, while the capital Bangkok and metropolitan areas have seen temperatures go above 40 degrees.
The sweltering conditions have seen demand for ice to jump, with vendors delivering large blocks to market vendors and other businesses.
The forecast from the Thailand Meteorological Department said this year’s summer, which usually lasts from late February to late May, is expected to be one to two degrees hotter than last year, and rainfall will be lower than average.
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control said last week that at least 30 people have died from heatstroke so far this year, compared to 37 for all of last year.
The Philippines is among the nations worst affected by the sweltering weather in South East Asia, where the intense tropical summer heat worsened by humidity forced class cancellations in recent weeks and sparked fears of water shortages, power outages and damage to agricultural crops.
The Department of Education in the Philippines ordered students in more than 47,000 public schools to switch to home-based and online learning due to health risks from record-high temperatures.
In Manila, the congested capital region of more than 14 million people, the temperature soared to 38.8 degrees last Saturday, surpassing the record set decades ago, according to weather officials.
The main advice for Philippines residents everywhere has been to avoid outdoor activities and drink plenty of water, but the young and the elderly were told to be especially careful.
Myanmar’s meteorological department said that seven townships in the central Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing and Bago regions experienced record-high temperatures.
Several towns in Myanmar last week were on lists of the hottest spots worldwide.
