School closures and health warnings: South and Southeast Asia swelter under record-breaking heat

Heatwaves have caused school closures for millions of children and triggered health warnings across South and Southeast Asia.

Temperature records don’t show the whole story, however, with high humidity making it much harder for people to keep cool.

These dangerous conditions increase the chances of exhaustion and heatstroke and can even be deadly. Severe heatwaves have already been blamed for almost three dozen deaths across the region.

“Thousands of records are being brutalized all over Asia, which is by far the most extreme event in world climatic history,” weather historian Maximiliano Herrara said in a post on social media site X last week.

Temperatures soared to 44C in parts of Thailand with the capital city Bangkok reaching 40C. The heat index - which measures how hot it actually feels due to humidity - was listed at a “very dangerous” 52C on Tuesday.

New highs over the last month have beaten records set as far back as 1958, according to the Thai Meteorological Department. The district of Lampang saw the highest temperatures so far this year at around 44.2C - just short of Thailand’s all-time record of 44.6C seen in 2016 and 2023.

The weather agency has said it expects this summer to be 1C to 2C warmer on average than it was last year.

In the Philippines, millions of students were told to stay at home on Monday after authorities cancelled classes for two days due to dangerous heat. More than 47,000 schools were ordered to switch to online at-home lessons by the Department of Education.

People were also advised to avoid outdoor activities and stay hydrated, with the elderly and young people particularly vulnerable.

The heat index hit around 45C, according to the country’s meteorological agency. That is within a range it considers “dangerous” as it could trigger heatstroke.

Authorities in Bangladesh have also been forced to close schools twice in the last two weeks as temperatures reached 43C.

Throughout April, a heatwave has been blazing across some parts of India as well. On 21 April, the eastern city of Bhagora hit a high of over 45C. A ‘red alert’” warning was issued by the India Meteorological Department for several eastern and southern states on