As Rob Thomas once crooned in Santana hit Smooth, “Man, it’s a hot one / Like seven inches from the midday sun”.
That was back in 1999 but we reckon it still holds pretty true for Thailand in April 2016.
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) have warned of temperature highs reaching 44° Celsius this week, particularly in the central, north and northeast provinces. Sukothai has already seen 44°C on Monday this week, while Tuesday saw some of Thailand sweltering between 42° and 43° too.
Haze is expected to accompany the week’s blistering heat too.
According to the Bangkok Post, these temperatures are approaching the 44.5°C record high for Thailand, documented in Uttaradit on 27 April 1960.
Perhaps bringing some relief, however, is the fact that thunderstorms and gusty winds are also predicted to hit the country this week, in 47 provinces across the central, east, north and northeastern regions.
Looking at Bangkok – which is not expected to experience thunderstorms – the TMD have forecast highs of 38°C for today and tomorrow, rising to 39°C on Friday before peaking at an uncomfortable 40°C on Saturday.
What with Songkran kicking off today, it’s likely that some Bangkokians may welcome the incoming water fights as a good way to cool down in the heat. Unless, of course, you’re choosing to avoid the festivities, holed up in your apartment with enough food and drinking water to last out the rest of the week…
Featured image is via Buzzfeed/soupson.ca
