"Relentless" Dry Season Heatwave In SE Asia; 109 In Thailand, 107+ In Phillipines

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The death of a toddler from extreme heat highlighted the risk of climate-related illnesses across Malaysia. The same week, Vietnam declared a state of emergency after abnormally high temperatures in the south dried up entire rice fields. And in the Philippines, hundreds of schools suspended classes after daily temperatures soared past 107 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius). Sweltering heat is back in Southeast Asia, one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change. And it is not going away any time soon, scientists have warned.

Home to more than 675 million people across 11 countries, the region has seen temperatures reach unprecedented levels – with little respite from merciless heat and humidity, climatologist Maximiliano Herrera told CNN. Thailand has been worst hit, Herrera said, adding that heat forecasts there have been especially dire. Temperatures across the country had been “breaking non-stop records” for 13 months – and heat and humidity levels were relentless, he said.

“We thought temperatures last year were unbearable but (what we are seeing) this year has beaten that – temperatures in Bangkok won’t drop below 30 degrees Celsius, even at night for the rest of April,” Herrera told CNN. “The trend is inescapable. The region has to prepare for terrible heat for the rest of April and most of May.” On April 3, as Thailand entered its annual dry season, the capital Bangkok clocked temperatures of around 109 degrees Fahrenheit – prompting many to stay indoors in air-conditioned comfort.

In nearby Vietnam, the heat wave brought intense droughts to the south – driving temperatures up to nearly 104 degrees Fahrenheit and wreaking havoc on the country’s vital agriculture industry. Vietnam is one of the world’s largest rice exporters and low rainfall spells trouble for farmers in its Mekong delta region. Rice fields and rivers have dried up, according to Vietnamese media reports, and farmers have been struggling without rainwater for their crops. Record heat waves in 2023 caused severe power outages in several cities. This year, Vietnamese meteorologists have attributed the unusually long dry spell to El Niño, a natural climate pattern that originates in the Pacific Ocean along the equator and influences weather all over the world. But alongside these natural variations, the world continues to blast through climate records, with deadly heat waves becoming the norm.

EDIT

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/10/asia/southeast-asia-extreme-heat-climate-intl-hnk/index.html

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