The “scorching” heatwave in Mérida, Yucatán, continues to break records.
On Monday, June 12, during spring, it reached 55.6°C. On July 14, in the summer, it reached 57.2°C, and on Thursday, October 12, in the middle of autumn, it reached 58.3°C. It was just 1.7 degrees short of baking the people of Mérida at 60 degrees.
Summer ended on September 22, and the warm season supposedly concluded on Saturday, October 7, according to a statement by the federal Secretary of Health (SSA) on October 11.
However, on October 12, in he middle of autumn, and the 2023 cold front season arriving, the heat index was historic. At 2:26 in the afternoon, the heat index reached 58.3 degrees Celsius, as reported by the meteorological station at the Faculty of Engineering at the Autonomous University of Yucatán (UADY) and reported on their website.
The heat index, or “bochorno” as it is called in Yucatán, is the result of air temperature and humidity levels. Higher humidity levels result in a higher heat index because humidity prevents sweat from evaporating on the skin.
This afternoon, even in the new air-conditioned buses, we felt overwhelmed and drenched in sweat. The medical explanation for this is that the evaporation of sweat is a natural mechanism that helps regulate body temperature and prevents hyperthermia, which can lead to a deadly heatstroke.
On Thursday, October 12th, the SSA reported that Yucatán had the highest number of deaths and cases of heatstroke on the Yucatán Peninsula during the warm season of 2023.
Heatstroke usually occurs when the body temperature reaches 40°C, and it causes cellular damage when the body temperature exceeds 42°C. Heatstroke is a severe condition that affects multiple organs, and it has a high mortality rate. Seven out of ten people do not survive a heatstroke.
Today, while the people of Mérida experienced a thermal sensation of 58.3°C, people in Furnace Creek in Death Valley, known as the “hottest place on Earth,” had a temperature of 30°C with a humidity level of 12%, resulting in a heat index of just 28°C. This is a difference of 30 degrees from the “scorching” heat of Mérida in the middle of October.
TYT Newsroom
