More than a hundred heat records broken in April in Vietnam

More than a hundred temperature records fell in Vietnam in April, according to meteorological service data published Friday May 3. In recent weeks, extreme heat has enveloped Asia, from India to the Philippines, causing deaths from sunstroke and school closures. Vietnam notably experienced three waves of severe heat in April, according to the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting.

A total of 102 weather stations recorded records in April, with northern and central Vietnam most affected by the heatwave, with temperatures on average 2 to 4°C higher than the same period last year. last. The mercury reached 44°C in two cities in the country at the start of the week. This figure is barely lower than the highest temperature ever recorded in Vietnam, 44.2°C, recorded on May 7, 2023.

While April and May are usually the hottest months of the year in Southeast Asia, experts say the El Niño phenomenon is making this year’s heat particularly intense. Human-induced climate change is also leading to more frequent heatwaves in many areas of the globe, scientists say.