Not Just Vermont Who Dealt With Extreme April Heat; Check Out These Figures From Asia!

Computer imagery showed intense heat in Asia this
past Monday. Since then the heat continued south,
eased in northern China and increased in Japan/South Korea.

 Sure, we had summer in April this month in Vermont. 

But if you thought our heat wave was something, check out these temperatures from parts of Asia. Around the time we had our heat wave, here's how the Washington Post describes big swaths of Asia:

"Numerous heat records have been broken across Southeast Asia, China and other parts of the continent in recent days as the region remains in the grip of a dangerously scorching heat wave, with Thailand in particular experiencing unusually extreme conditions. Weather historian Maximiliano Herrera is describing it as the' worst April heat wave in Asian history.'"

April and May are usually Thailand's hottest months, but last week got absolutely ridiculous. The temperature last Friday reached 114 degrees in the town of Tak.  This established the record for the hottest temperature anyone has ever seen in Thailand.

As that record heat hit, Thailand was celebrating that country's New Year's festivities. Because record hot weather enveloped the country, people were advised to tamp down their parties and stay indoors to avoid heat stroke. 

Up in China, at least 109 weather stations in 12 provinces recorded their hottest April temperatures on record, says the Washington Post.  

WaPo continues: 

"The hot days had been accumulating over the past few weeks, with Yuanjiang in Hunan province having exceeded 95 degrees for 22 straight days as of last Friday."

Other nations in Asia shared in this weird heat wave. 

Bangladesh ties its national April highest temperature at 109 degrees. The Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, reached 105 degrees, its hottest temperature since 1960. Temperatures reached as high as 111 in Myanmar and 107 in Nepal.  Intense heat killed at least 13 people in India.  Concern was rising in India with memories fresh from an even more intense, deadly heat wave last year. 

As of Wednesday, the record heat had spread into Japan and the Koreas. 

Early season heat waves like the one in Asia can be more dangerous than similar hot spells later in the season.  People become somewhat acclimatized to the heat later in the season.  Early heat wave come before people's bodies are ready for it. Some evidence suggests early season heat waves can be more deadly than later ones. 

If you're a regular reader of this here blog thingy and you think I've put up a lot of posts about record heat pretty much everywhere, you're right. 

And you will have seen this disclaimer, which I need to repeat. Heat waves have always happened all over the world. Now, however, we are in a mostly man-made climate change regime. Heat waves have become more frequent, more widespread and more likely to exceed all time record highs. 

It can happen anywhere, anytime. This month, it's been in places as different from each other as Vermont and Thailand.