An extreme heat wave has gripped much of Asia. It is unusually hot in China, Thailand, Laos and Bangladesh. The high temperatures in India have already killed at least thirteen people.
In recent days, numerous heat records have been broken in Asia. Weather historian and climatologist Maximiliano Herrera spoke on Twitter of the “worst April heat wave in Asian history”.
Temperatures above 44 degrees were measured in northern and eastern India. That is more than 5 degrees more than average. At least thirteen people died as a result of the heat.
Several schools in different parts of the country closed their doors last week. The Indian authorities warn about the dry air and advise to drink a lot.
In addition to heat, also sand storms
In Thailand, high temperatures are normal in April and May. But on Friday there was the highest temperature of all time: in the city of Tak it was no less than 45.4 degrees. And in Laos it was also hotter than ever at almost 43 degrees.
The Chinese are also struggling with record temperatures. In addition, there are many sandstorms in China, Japan and South Korea. Due to drought, sand from the Gobi desert is more likely to blow over the land. Authorities warn of poor air quality and reduced visibility.
But the end of the heat wave is in sight. Especially in China, the temperature is expected to drop significantly at the end of the week.