Singapore on Saturday (May 13) reported its highest temperature in 40 years as a blistering heatwave burns through large parts of South and Southeast Asia. Taking to Facebook, the National Environment Agency said that Saturday’s temperature of 37 degrees Celsius was the highest this year, and matched the record for a daily peak recorded in April 1983. The agency said that the warm and dry conditions were expected to continue on Sunday.
The agency also said that short-duration showers were expected next week that might help to moderate the warm temperatures. May is usually one of the warmest months of the year in Singapore.
Amid the rising temperatures, several schools in Singapore have relaxed their rules on uniforms to help pupils manage the heat.
According to a report by Channel News Asia (CNA) on Friday, the Henry Park Primary School said in a notice last week its uniform rules for students would be adjusted between May 5 and May 26.
The notice said that students would be allowed to leave their shirts untucked in school. Female students can also choose to wear shirts with physical education (PE) shorts instead of the school skirt.
At the Raffles Girls’ Primary School, students were told that they did not have to put on their pinafores after PE lessons if they feel it is too warm to do so. Meanwhile, the Methodist Girls’ School was also allowing students to wear their PE uniforms instead of full uniforms, the CNA report said.
Not just Singapore, other countries in South and Southeast Asia are also breaking temperature records.
On May 7, Thailand’s capital city Bangkok recorded the highest temperature reaching 41 degrees Celsius, breaching the 40.8 degrees Celsius record in 1983. Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka witnessed the highest temperature since the 1960s last week. And last Saturday, Vietnam also recorded 44.1 degrees Celsius, setting a record for the highest temperature in the country.
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