Malaysia faces searing heatwave as temperatures hit high of 37 degrees
Malaysia is bracing for another heatwave with temperatures topping 37 degrees Celsius in certain areas as experts warn of the serious health threat faced by residents due to the adverse weather conditions.
Last week, MetMalaysia issued a Level 1 advisory after six areas in Peninsular Malaysia experienced maximum daily temperatures of between 35 and 37 degrees for three consecutive days.
The alert by the meteorological department came amid the southwest monsoon season, which began in May and is set to persist till mid-September, bringing hot and dry weather and reduced rainfall across most regions.
Health experts warned that the country's current heat warning system remained inadequate, according to a report in The Star newspaper, as it overlooked the wet-bulb temperature (WBT), a key metric that assesses the threat faced by humans based on heat and humidity levels.
WBT measures the lowest temperature air can reach through evaporative cooling, like sweat evaporating from skin. The higher the WBT is, the more risk humans face.
Sustained temperatures between 31 and about 35 degrees, along with humidity levels above 90 per cent, are known to cause high WBT readings in a specific area, the experts said.
'When the air is very humid, sweat doesn't evaporate efficiently,' Victor Hoe, a public health specialist at Universiti Malaya said. 'This reduces our body's ability to cool down, leading to overheating, which can be dangerous or even deadly,' he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
India heatwave: red alert as Delhi hits 45 degrees Celsius and Rajasthan hits 47
A blistering heatwave is sweeping across northern India, with temperatures soaring above those typical of the season and region. The mercury shot up to 47.3 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit) in Sri Ganganagar, a desert city in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, on Monday, according to the Indian Meteorological Department. The record for the country is 51 degrees, set in May 2016 in Rajasthan's city of Phalodi. The searing heat is not just a seasonal discomfort but also underscores a growing challenge for the country's overwhelmed healthcare infrastructure. Prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures often causes heatstrokes, mainly affecting the poor, outdoor workers, children and the elderly. Climate change: Pakistan schools close, students stay home Last year, a months-long heatwave across swathes of India killed more than 100 people and led to more than 40,000 suspected cases of heatstroke, according to data from the health ministry. The Indian capital, New Delhi, saw its first heatwave of the season, with temperatures soaring past 45 degrees in one of its neighbourhoods on Monday. The swelter wasn't just numerical, as the real-feel temperature – the heat index, factoring in relative humidity – was a couple of notches higher. For autorickshaw driver Pradeep Kumar, the scorching heat has taken a toll on his health and affected his household income, as people have avoided daytime commuting. 'This heat makes us very tired. We drink water to keep up. But many times, our health gets affected,' Kumar said. 'I feel troubled.' A volunteer distributes free drinking water outside a Sikh temple, during a hot day in the old quarters of Delhi on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE The weather department has issued heatwave warnings for the next couple of days in northern India, including the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and the New Delhi national capital region. Some parts of those areas may witness light showers from Thursday, bringing relief. India declares a heatwave whenever temperatures are above 40 degrees in the plains and 30 degrees or more in its hilly regions. Heatwaves are usually reported from March to June and, in some cases, in July. The peak month is May, but this season was relatively cooler due to weather aberrations amid multiple westerly disturbances, said G.P. Sharma, president of private weather forecaster Skymet. Ryan Rodriguez, a 22-year-old tourist from the United States, was seen sipping a lemonade to keep himself cool in Delhi. 'It's pretty hot here. I just came from a trip to the Middle East, so I am sort of adjusting to it. But [this is] much hotter than Virginia. I haven't seen any worse heat than this in India so far,' Rodriguez said. Climate change: extreme heat brings holidays early to Philippine schools In Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, a punishing heatwave has made people's lives difficult as power grids struggled to keep pace with the soaring electricity demand. 'There is no light for hours in the afternoon, just when the heat is unbearable,' said Shabnam Khan, a homemaker in Lucknow, the state's capital city. 'The fan stops, the cooler doesn't work, and we are left sitting on the floor, drenched in sweat.' The state recorded its highest-ever electricity demand of 30,161 megawatts late on Sunday as millions of homes and businesses ran cooling systems to beat the heat. Officials expect demand to surpass 32,000 megawatts in the coming weeks. Atul Kumar Singh, a senior scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Lucknow, said the battle against this brutal summer heat was far from over, as seasonal monsoon rains were still weeks away. 'We are seeing the worst of both heat and humidity. This is no longer just a matter of discomfort. It is becoming a public health emergency,' said Singh.
South China Morning Post
10 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Red Cross tightens blood donor rules for recent inmates over health risks
The Hong Kong Red Cross has banned anyone who has been locked up for 72 hours or more in the past 12 months from donating blood for a year, citing the risk of infections such as hepatitis C and HIV. The Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service said on Wednesday the guidelines had been revised based on suggestions made by the internationally recognised certification bodies that conducted a review of the centre last year. A spokeswoman for the service, which is operated by the Hospital Authority, said the suggestions were discussed by an expert panel and the new rules had been in force since May 27. 'Donors who have been, in the past 12 months, consecutively detained in a correctional institution or prison for 72 hours or more must wait 12 months before donating blood,' she said. 'The aim of the revision is to further enhance blood safety and reduce risks associated with blood transfusion, aligning with relevant guidelines of blood transfusion service organisations around the world.' An information pack available on the centre's website said that prospective donors who had been detained in the facilities for the 72-hour period or longer could have been exposed to 'a higher risk of high-risk behaviour', which increased the possibility of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV infections.
South China Morning Post
12 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
‘Superhero': Malaysian dad keeps promise to late wife, resigns from job to raise 3 children
A Malaysian father has captivated the hearts of many after resigning from his job to honour a promise to his late wife – single-handedly raising their three young sons, each facing significant health challenges, for seven years. In August 2018, Khairul Abdullah's life transformed dramatically when his wife suddenly passed away due to a severe bacterial blood infection, leaving him with three sons aged four, two, and just a few months old. To provide his children with the care they needed, he resigned from his position as a designer at a private firm on the very day of his wife's passing. He subsequently embarked on a new career as an Islamic insurance adviser, which allowed him the flexibility essential to support his family. He recalled: 'From that day on, my children became my sole priority. That freelance work enables me to be with them whenever they need me.' Abdullah left his full-time job as a designer to become an Islamic insurance adviser, a change that offered him the flexibility needed to care for his family. Photo: Facebook 'When the children were still very young and had just lost their mother's love, they required my presence all day. I even declined my parents' help, insisting that the children not be separated from me,' he added.
