Thailand sweats: it feels like the temperature can rise above 50 degrees. Parliament supports Switzerland’s leading role in the debate on reparations

Parts of Thailand have been sweating under an unusual heat wave for days. The north of the popular holiday destination and the capital Bangkok are particularly affected. Things will get worse: According to forecasts from the local weather bureau, temperatures will at least temporarily rise above 40 degrees in all parts of the country in March and April.

Values ​​would be up to two degrees higher than normal this summer, which started in Thailand at the end of February, the Bangkok Post newspaper quoted the authority’s director-general Kornravee Sitthichitvapak as saying.

But the air temperature is one thing, the heat index – which describes the perceived temperature – is quite another, the expert warned. “Summer temperatures measured in Thailand have never reached 50 degrees, and we will not see that this year or for many years to come,” Sitthichitvapak explains. It feels like values ​​will cross the dreaded 50 degree mark in the coming weeks.

The heat is especially dangerous for chronically ill people, seniors and overweight people, emphasizes Atchara Nithiapinyasakul, director general of the Ministry of Health. When the heat index is 42 to 51.9 degrees, outdoor activities can cause cramps and fatigue and increase the risk of heatstroke. “If the heat index is above 52 degrees, it is classified as ‘very dangerous’. Prolonged exposure to this level of heat results in a very high risk of heat stroke,” she warned. This disrupts the body’s entire temperature regulation.

According to the ministry, 131 deaths from heat stroke were recorded in Thailand between 2019 and 2023 – more than 26 per year. (sda/dpa)