(Dan Tri) – In the past few months, Southeast Asia has been experiencing a severe heat wave described as `once in a hundred years`, when many countries witnessed temperature records being broken.
Thailand in particular and Southeast Asia in general experienced extreme heat waves in April and May (Photo: AFP).
A report by World Weather Attribution (WWA), an international alliance of scientists, said the April heat wave in Southeast Asia was a once-in-200-year event and `almost impossible`
Normally, April and May would be the hottest months of the year in Southeast Asia as temperatures rise before the monsoon rains bring relief.
According to weather historian Maximiliano Herrera, Thailand recorded its hottest day in history at 45.4 degrees Celsius on April 15, while neighboring Laos had the highest temperature of 43.5 degrees Celsius in 2 months.
Mr. Herrera described that Southeast Asia is experiencing `the most severe heat wave without end` lasting until June. The scorching heat in Southeast Asia becomes even more uncomfortable and dangerous due to the high temperature.
Heat-related illnesses, such as heatstroke and heat exhaustion, have serious symptoms and can be life-threatening, especially for people with heart disease and kidney problems, diabetes, and the elderly.
`When the ambient humidity is very high, the body will continue to sweat to try to release moisture to cool itself, but because the sweat cannot evaporate, it will eventually lead to severe dehydration,
To accurately understand the impact of heat on humans, scientists often use the term `perceived temperature` – a concept that refers to the level of heat that the human body can actually feel, combining
A CNN analysis found that from early April to late May, all six countries in mainland Southeast Asia reached felt temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or more every day.
In Thailand, there were 20 days in April and at least 10 days in May where the temperature was felt above 46 degrees Celsius. During April and May, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia all experienced several days of cold weather.
As reported by World Weather Attribution, the April-May heatwave in Southeast Asia caused widespread hospitalizations, damaged roads, sparked fires and caused school closures.
Research shows that, due to climate change, human temperatures feel hotter than 2 degrees Celsius. According to research, if global warming continues to increase to 2 degrees Celsius, such humid heat waves may