Heat wave forces school closures in nearly half Philippine capital
Soaring temperatures shut down schools in nearly half the Philippine capital on Monday, local officials said, as the torrid dry season started in the tropical Southeast Asian country.
A national weather service advisory warned the heat index, a measure of air temperature and relative humidity, was set to reach "danger" levels in Manila and two other areas of the country, News.Az reports, citing AFP.
"Heat cramps and heat exhaustion are likely" at that level, the advisory said, warning residents in affected areas to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun.
A heat wave struck large areas of the Philippines in April and May last year, leading to almost daily suspensions of in-person classes, affecting millions of students.
Manila's temperature hit a record 38.8 Celsius (101.8F) on April 27 last year.
The capital region has a student population of more than 2.8 million according to education department data.
In Manila's Malabon district, education department official Edgar Bonifacio said the suspensions affected more than 68,000 students across 42 schools.
Global average temperatures hit record highs in 2024 and even briefly surpassed the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold.
In January, UN children's agency UNICEF said extreme weather disrupted the schooling of about 242 million children in 85 countries last year, including the Philippines, with heat waves having the biggest impact.
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