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Southeast Asia heatwave closes schools in Philippines, increases energy demand in Thailand as Myanmar bakes at 48 degrees Celsius

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Philippines announced it will halt in-person classes in public schools as Thailand’s demand for electricity surged to record levels because the heatwave that hit southern Asia continued to take its toll.
The temperature in metropolitan Manila rose to 38.8 degrees Celsius (101.8 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday, in line with the country’s weather forecaster. This was higher than the previous all-time record set in May 1915, ABS-CBN News reported. The Ministry of Education responded to the above hot weatherand Jeepney transport strike across the country, closing public schools on Monday and Tuesday.
IN ThailandEnergy demand hit a record high of 36,356 megawatts late Saturday, the Energy Ministry said. The warmest temperatures are expected to be within the northern and north-eastern regions of the country – the utmost temperature in some areas on Sunday might be 44 degrees.
Power lines suspended above the road during high temperatures in Bangkok. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy is bracing for hotter-than-usual days resulting from the El Nino weather phenomenon, which is forecast to last until June. Photographer: Bloomberg

Bangkok issued an extreme heat warning last week as its index rose to “very dangerous” levels. About 30 people have died from high temperatures in Thailand this yr, compared with 37 heat-related deaths in all of 2023, in line with government data.

Myanmar authorities said on Monday that they’d recorded the best April temperature on record.
A lady walks down the road with a chilly drink under an umbrella on a hot day in Yangon. Myanmar recorded its highest-ever April temperature of 48.2 degrees Celsius. Photo: AFP

The mercury reached 48.2 degrees in Chauk town in central Myanmar’s Magway region on Sunday, in line with a press release from the country’s weather bureau. This is the best temperature recorded in April in Myanmar since records began 56 years ago.

Earlier this month United Nations The Children’s Fund warned over 243 million children People in East Asia and the Pacific are vulnerable to heat-related illness and death because the region braces for an unusually hot summer.
The prolonged heatwave had already forced the Philippines to shut some schools earlier this month, prompting a return to distant learning that had grow to be the norm during Covidwhile the federal government urged people to avoid wasting electricity resulting from the necessity to close power plants.
A person showered with a hose in Manila on Sunday in hot weather. The Philippines will suspend in-person classes in all public schools for 2 days resulting from extreme heat. Photo: AFP

The provincial government on the essential island of Luzon will implement a four-day work week by July to ease the impact of high temperatures on employees and the general public.

The weather agency said the country’s heat index, which measures the temperature individuals feel while taking into consideration humidity, will hit 46 degrees in Manila on Monday.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse

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