MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Record heatwave in Midwest and south Brazil, with warning of hyperthermia risk

Hyperthermia warning occurs when the temperature is 5 ° C above the local average for a period of 2 or 3 days

Inmet (National Meteorological Institute) has issued an alert for the risk of death from hyperthermia due to the heatwave affecting several regions of Brazil. The agency alert is valid until Thursday (8) or Friday (9), depending on the location.

This type of warning occurs when the temperature is 5 ° C above the local average for a period of 2 or 3 days. Currently, this has been observed in parts of the Midwest and Southeast, as well as parts of Tocantins State.

Among the places with a forecast of 5 ° C above average in the coming days in the state of São Paulo, according to Inmet, we find the regions of Campinas, Bauru, Araraquara, Piracicaba, Ribeirão Preto, Araçatuba, São José Do Rio Preto, Presidente Prudente and Marília. Inmet also predicts the potential for heat records in the north-central region of São Paulo.

Distrito Federal, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Tocantins, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul are other places that also have the danger alert due to above average temperatures in the region. On Monday (5), the town of Água Clara, northeast of Mato Grosso do Sul, reached 44.6 ° C. In Minas, the agency’s alert mainly concerns the Triângulo Mineiro and the Alto Paranaíba.

Extreme heat was observed in São Paulo, mainly in the north and northwest of the state. In Jales (inside the SP), 41.9 ° C was recorded on Monday (5), a new record, since it exceeds the 41.7 ° C recorded on September 30. This is the highest temperature since 2007.

Other values above 41 ° C were also recorded: Votuporanga (41.8 ° C), Ibitinga (41.2 ° C) and Barretos (41.1 ° C). The 42.1 ° C mark observed in Catanduva on Saturday is the highest temperature since 1961 in the city.

In the capital of São Paulo, according to measurements from the Automatic Meteorological Station of Inmet-Mirante de Santana, the maximum temperature on Tuesday (6) in the capital was 36.4 ° C, the highest ever recorded for the October since 1943.

After the weekend of relief in the heat in the eastern part of the state, the temperature started to rise again on Monday. Last Friday (2), the capital recorded 37.4 ° C, its highest temperature of the year and the 2nd highest temperature in the historical series of Inmet measurements. The highest absolute temperature record for the city is 37.8 ° C in October 2014.

According to Inmet, the cause of the intense heat that affects much of the Brazilian territory is still a persistent atmospheric blockade that has been installed in the central area of Brazil. The forecast is that the heat will remain very intense until Thursday (8) at least.

Hyperthermia occurs when the body temperature is above 37.4 ° C. Regular body temperature is around 36 ° C. When there is a rise, the body uses several strategies to cool it down, such as sweating , according to the Brazilian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology.

The problem arises when, due to excessive heat or when the person is exposed to the sun for a long time and does not drink enough fluids, the cooling process of the body does not work properly.