Record high in Japan as the heat wave captures the region



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Record high in Japan as the heat wave strikes the region

TOKYO – Japan recorded its highest temperature since yesterday as a deadly heat wave continued to hit a wide swath of the country and South and North Korea

Mercury reached 41.1 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) in Kumagaya, a city in Saitama Prefecture about 65 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, announced the Japanese Meteorological Agency. This broke the previous record of 41.0 C at Ekawasaki on Shikoku Island on August 12, 2013.

Two persistent high pressure systems trapped warm, moist air overhead. the region, bringing record temperatures for nearly two weeks. More than 40 people died in Japan and about 10 in South Korea.

"It's so hot today that I do not know if I'm in South Korea or Southeast Asia," said Kim Sung-hee, a student in downtown Seoul, where the temperature reached 35.7 C (96 F).

Ten people died in South Korea from heat stroke and other heat-related causes this summer, seven of which last week. Control and Prevention said yesterday. About 1,040 people became ill because of the heat from May 20 to July 21, an increase of 61% over the same period last year.

The highest trough of South Korea was recorded in the city of Gangneung, where the temperature was 31 C (88 F) at 6:45 am The morning in Seoul was 29.2 C (84.6 F) , a record for the country's capital, according to the South Korean Meteorological Agency.

Mercury hit 39.9 C (103.8 F) in the southeastern city of Hayang, the country's highest temperature so far this year.

In North Korea, locals settled on crowded carts or protected themselves from the sun with brightly colored umbrellas. the capital, reaches 34 C (93.2 F). According to the weather reports, higher temperatures have been recorded on the east coast of the country.

Thousands of people in Japan were rushed to hospitals suffering from heat stroke during the heat wave. The agency Kyodo News has registered more than 40 deaths. Many of the victims were elderly people who did not use air conditioning.

Yesterday, nine people died of heat-related causes across Japan, said Kyodo. NHK national television recorded seven deaths.

The temperature reached 39 ° C (102 ° F) yesterday in central Tokyo, the highest temperature this year. The worst of the heat wave is expected this week.

Tourists in the historic district of Asakusa in Tokyo fought with the heat. Cosett Romero of Mexico said that she and her family had headaches.

"It's hard for us because we do not have that warmth in Mexico," she said.

Authorities warned people to stay inside.

"The weather recently in Tokyo and across Japan resembles that of a sauna," said Yuriko Koike, governor of Tokyo, during a press conference on the Olympic Games. summer of 2020, which took place on Tuesday in Tokyo. the high post-war temperature in August averages 31.5 ° C (88.7 ° F). This is about the same as the average Athens Olympics in August 2004, but exceeds those of the last three Olympics in August: 30.6 C (87.0 F) during Beijing 2008, 23.5 C (74.3 F) in London 2012 and 26.3 C (79.3 F) in Rio de Janeiro, according to statistics from the meteorological agency.

Koike says the city has worked to address the heat issues for spectators and athletes.

The marathon and other Olympic events outdoors in the morning. Koike also cited traditional cooling methods in Japan, such as laying straw curtains and spraying water on the roads.

"But our traditional wisdom is not enough to deal with the heat," she acknowledged, "so we will use advanced technology."

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