Fierce weather surrounds America and Asia

An early onslaught of sweltering weather before a really hot dry summer begins is forecast to break about 130 heat records for this time of year, with temperatures expected to be 11-17 degrees higher. C relative to the regional average.

More than 120 million Americans are affected by extreme heat, raising health concerns among at-risk populations, people who work outdoors, and those without access to cooling systems in the United States. family.

The National Weather Service has issued a special notice, warning people to stay alert for signs of heat-related illness, stay indoors when possible, and drink enough water.

“This heat wave can be shocking because winter has just passed,” said meteorologist Marc Chenard from the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.

Heat records are expected to be broken in large swaths of the eastern US, including Washington DC, where it is forecast to reach 36 degrees Celsius, and Boston, where it could reach 34 degrees Celsius. Dallas had the hottest May on record, and wildfires threatened the Southwest.

The Indian state of Assam was devastated by floods and landslides on May 19 Photo: REUTERS

Heat is a silent killer, believed to be responsible for more deaths than floods, hurricanes or tornadoes. The climate crisis is setting the stage for increased heat waves, and there will be 25-30 extreme events per year by mid-century with a widening range of effects, compared with 4-6 per year. years ago.

In the state of Punjab – India, people are worried about sick buffaloes, shriveled, damaged wheat grains… because of the continuous heat above 40 degrees Celsius. Farmer Hardepp Singh Uppal said the weather The harsh conditions caused his family to lose up to 50% of the wheat crop.

In contrast, in the state of Assam bordering Bangladesh, at least 14 people have died from landslides and floods. The Assam government said on May 21 that more than 850,000 people in about 3,200 villages had been affected by torrential rains and flash floods.

“Rescue boats are picking up bodies, carrying relief goods and rescuing stranded villagers,” a reporter for Al-Jazeera radio reported from Assam’s Hojai district.

Earlier, at least 33 other people were killed and dozens injured in the eastern state of Bihar – India during a thunderstorm on May 19. Also last week, the state of Bihar itself suffered a severe heat wave with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius. The neighboring country – Bangladesh – was in a similar situation with about 2 million people trapped in areas. surrounded by floodwaters.