Temperatures are no longer dropping in Mexico. Since mid-April, a heat wave has hit the country, and has already caused at least eight deaths, the government announced. Of the eight victims, seven succumbed to heat stroke and one to dehydration between April 14 and June 12, he said. Three people died in the state of Veracruz (East), two in that of Quintana Roo (Southeast), two in the State of Sonora (North) and one in that of Oaxaca (South).
In Mexico City, the temperature reached a record 35 degrees Celsius this week. In the center of the capital, the air is stuffy due to the crush and gas emissions from road traffic and businesses. In Monterrey, in the northeast, temperatures exceed 40°C. In this prosperous city, which suffered a historic drought last year, water pressure has decreased in homes and increased use of electricity for air conditioning has led to power outages.
The government of the state of Nuevo Leon, where Monterrey is located, has arranged for children to attend semi-face-to-face lessons and only go to school for two hours a day, in order to avoid being exposed to the sun.