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Seoul’s
Hottest June in 106 Years
Employees
at Korea Electric Power Corp. are feeling the heat more than most as
Seoul sweats through its hottest early summer in 106 years.
WSJ,
2
July, 2013
The
state-run power supplier has some of the most draconian policies in
effect to save power as the capital flirts with power outages
following the shutdown of two nuclear reactors in May for safety
violations.
Instead
of air conditioning, the company is offering iced baths for its
employees to cool down.
“No
air conditioners have been used this summer, even when the indoor
temperature has topped 30 degrees,” said a noticeably frazzled
company spokesman Jang Jin-won.
The
iced baths are in the basement of the company’s headquarters and
employees can wash themselves in them when the heat gets all too
much.
It
may take a while to reach the bathhouse though; the company is
running a reduced elevator service and no elevators are running from
the ground floor to the fourth floor.
According
to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the average daytime
temperature in Seoul was 24.4 degrees Celsius (75.9 degrees
Fahrenheit) last month–the highest for any June since observation
began in 1908. The previous record high was 24.1 Celsius in June last
year.
The
government said last month it will limit power usage in the public
and private sectors until the end of August in a nationwide drive to
cut energy consumption.
Public
offices must cut power use by at least 15% in July and August
compared with levels last year, and keep air conditioning above 28
degrees. Private companies and city shops that leave their doors open
while using air conditioning will face fines of up to 3 million won
($2,660).
Providing
some relief to the sizzling nation, it rained on Tuesday morning, but
the heat is expected to return.
Korea
will have higher-than-usual temperatures in July and the heat wave
will last through September, forecasters reckon.
Heat
Wave - Japan
From
May, 2013
The
Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 195 people were hospitalized
for heatstroke on Friday as temperatures rose to the mid-30s in
western Japan for the third day in a row. Osaka had the highest
number of heatstroke victims at 57, including 15 students who
suffered exhaustion during an athletic meet at around 12:20 p.m., NTV
reported. Aichi had the next highest number with 26. The day's
highest temperature was 36.7 degrees in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture.
Takahashi in Okayama Prefecture recorded 36.6, Kyotanabe in Kyoto
Prefecture had 36.1 and Fuchu in Hiroshima Prefecture was 35.1
degrees.
China
hit by first summer heat wave
18
June, 2013
Many
parts of China have just experienced the first heat wave of the
summer. Temperatures in East China's Jiangxi Province have surpassed
35 degrees Celsius since Sunday. Local residents say the temperatures
are unbearably high.
And
the heat is expected to continue over the coming days. In east
China's Anhui province, fifty cities have seen temperatures exceed 35
degrees Celsius. Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, under the
influence of the subtropical high-pressure belts, saw heats so fierce
that a red warning was issued, the highest level in China's
four-color warning system.
According
to the Central Meteorological Station, most parts of China will
experience temperatures over 35 degrees Celsiuson Tuesday. Central
and Southwest parts of China are expected to sizzle under 37 to 39
degrees Celsius weather.
India
heat wave triggers power outages, exhaustion
Jammu,
May 24 (ANI): A searing heat wave has caused power outages and showed
no sign of abating across the country.
24
May, 2013
Some
tourists in Jammu and Kashmir said they had travelled from Mumbai to
escape the heat, but found the heat wave stretched across large
swathes of the country.
"I
read in the newspapers that the temperature in the state have broken
the past ten years' records and stand at its peak now. I am here with
my family and have come from Mumbai to enjoy the cold weather, but it
is very hot right now," said Eijaz Ahmed, a tourist from Mumbai.
A
meteorologist said the heat followed a pattern of rising temperatures
year-on-year since 1984.
"If
we compare statistics, the temperatures have been on the increase. In
the year 1984, the temperature recorded in the month of May was 46.6
degree Celsius and considered to be very high. Rains would reduce the
heat, but as of now there are no signs of monsoon's arrival,"
said M. M. Khushu.
Power
outages have left some without fans or refrigerators and no means to
cool down. Uttar Pradesh had only 8,000 megawatts available to meet
demands of 11.000 watts. (ANI)
Heatwave
in states of Assam (India) : 26 deaths
June,
2013
The
death toll from a heat wave in Assam climbed to 26 in the past 48
hours as the temperature continued to rise the state. On Thursday,
sweltering heat claimed 16 lives in different parts of the state.
According to reports, four people died in Goalpara district, three in
Kamrup district, two in Golaghat district and one each in Nalbari,
Sonitpur, Dhubri, Lakhimpur, Darrang and Baska district. The mercury
was registered at 38.4 degree Celsius in Guwahati on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the administration of several districts had ordered to
close all educational institutions on June 14 and 15. A top official
of the Regional Meteorology Centre (RMC) said that the hot weather
conditions will continue to affect the state and other states of
North East India for at least a couple of days.
06/11
& 12 : Sweltering heat has claimed at least six lives in
different locations of the state in the last 24 hours, and the
Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) at Borjhar has forecast no
change in weather conditions in the next 48 hours. According to the
RMC, Assam's maximum temperature of 38.5 degrees Celsius on
Wednesday, the highest in the last 33 years, was recorded in
Guwahati. In June 1979, the state's major city had recorded a maximum
temperature of 38.4 degrees Celsius.
While
two people died in Guwahati on Tuesday due to extreme heat, four
other people have reportedly died in different locations of the state
Wednesday. Officials said two people died in Barak Valley, and one
each in Guwahati and in Nagaon district, on Wednesday. The man who
died in Barak Valley was identified as S Robidas, 70.He died while on
the way to hospital at Hailakandi in Barak Valley. Pranabananda Das,
22, died at Katigora in Cachar district of an illness brought on by
exposure to heat.rnrnMajibur Rahman, 50, died in Nagaon district,
officials said, adding that all these deaths appeared to have been
caused by the heat wave. Authorities in Guwahati recovered one body
near the Ulubari flyover in the city. It was suspected that the man
may have died because of sun stroke. The body is yet to be
identified.
On
Tuesday, Sanjib Sinha, 50, died in a city hospital due to extreme
heat and humidity; another unidentified person was believed to have
died of heat stroke near Khanapara Veterinary College in Guwahati.
The mercury level in Guwahati and other parts of the state has seen
unprecedented rise this year, officials said, adding that the extreme
hot weather has forced the Kamrup (Metro) district administration to
issue an order that all private and government schools in the
district stay shut on June 13 and June 14. The order, issued by the
Kamrup (Metro) district deputy commissioner, said that the decision
to close the schools was taken due to the ongoing heat wave across
the state, and keeping in mind problems school children face in such
inclement weather.
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