Thailand: Heat stroke kills 30 as heat index on ‘extremely dangerous’ level

April is generally the hottest month in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries.

Thailand issued warnings about blistering hot weather on Thursday, with the government reporting that heat stroke has already killed at least 30 people this year.

Bangkok authorities issued an excessive heat warning because the heat index was forecast to exceed 52 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit). Temperatures in the concrete sprawl of Thailand's capital reached 40.1 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, with similar levels expected on Thursday.

This week, a wave of extremely hot weather swept through South and Southeast Asia, causing schools in the Philippines to close and worshippers in Bangladesh to pray for rain.

Bangkok's environment authority warned that the heat index, which measures how hot it feels based on humidity, wind speed, and other factors, was at an "extremely dangerous" level.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS) , “the heat index, also known as the apparent temperature, is what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature. The NWS classifies 125°F or higher as an "Extreme Danger" which makes "heat stroke highly likely" for humans.

Authorities in Udon Thani province, in the kingdom's rural northeast, have also warned of high temperatures on Thursday. The health ministry reported late Wednesday that 30 individuals died of heatstroke between January 1 and April 17, compared to 37 in all of 2023.

Direk Khampaen, deputy director general of Thailand's Department of Disease Control, said officials were recommending the elderly and those with underlying medical issues, such as obesity, to stay indoors and drink plenty of water.

April is generally the hottest month in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, but this year's circumstances have been exacerbated by the El Nino weather pattern.

Last year witnessed record levels of heat stress around the world, with the United Nations weather and climate agency reporting that Asia was warming at an especially rapid rate. The kingdom has been sweltering through a heatwave this week, with a temperature of 44.2 C recorded in the northern province of Lampang on Monday, barely short of the all-time national high of 44.6 C set last year.

Across the border in Myanmar, the temperature reached 45.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, with more of the same anticipated on Thursday.

The instability and conflict triggered by the military's 2021 coup have resulted in rolling power outages around the country, limiting people's ability to stay cool with fans and air conditioning.

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