‘Endless record heat’ in Asia as highest April temperatures recorded

Asia is experiencing weeks of "endless record heat", with sweltering temperatures causing school closures and surges in energy use.

Record April temperatures have been recorded at monitoring stations across Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, as well as in China and South Asia.

On Tuesday, four weather stations in Myanmar hit or matched record monthly temperatures, with Theinzayet, in eastern Mon state, reaching the highest, at 43C (109.4F). On Wednesday, Bago, north-east of Yangon, reached 42.2C, matching an all-time record previously recorded in May 2020 and April 2019, according to Maximiliano Herrera, a climatologist and weather historian.

There had been "endless record heat in south-east Asia, with weeks of records falling every day," said Herrera.

In Thailand last weekend the authorities advised people in Bangkok and other areas of the country to stay home to avoid becoming ill. Temperatures hit 42C in the capital on Saturday, and the heat index - meaning what the temperature feels like combined with humidity - reached 54C.

Many still braved the sticky weather - sheltering under umbrellas and carrying fans to stay cool, or seeking respite in air-conditioned malls. In some areas, water has been sprinkled from apartment or university buildings, to ease temperatures and air pollution caused by seasonal agricultural burning.

Rain on Wednesday in Bangkok brought respite from the heat, and the authorities have said they believe the hot season has now peaked.