Extreme heat scorches Asia, affecting at least a third of the world’s population
On April 16th, 2023, people gather to attend an award ceremony on the outskirts of Mumbai, India. Heatstroke killed more than a dozen people as early summer temperatures soared. | Photo by AFP via Getty Images
Record-shattering heat is cooking much of Asia. Brutal temperatures have been recorded across more than 12 countries in the past couple weeks. That includes oppressive heatwaves in India and China, which together represent a third of the world’s population.
It’s a “monster” heat spell “like none before,” climatologist and weather historian Maximiliano Herrera tweeted today after describing it as the “worst” April heatwave in Asia’s history last week.
Thailand beat its national heat record over the weekend, with a temperature of 45.4 degrees Celsius (113.72 degrees Fahrenheit) recorded in the province of Tak. Neighboring Laos also likely hit its “highest reliable temperature in its history”…
