Several provinces in Argentina expected to start spring above 40°C this weekend
Buenos Aires, Sept 21 (EFE) – Argentina’s National Meteorological Service expects that between Thursday and Sunday, coinciding with the beginning of spring, temperatures could exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104°F ) in several provinces in the north of the country due to a heat wave affecting central South America.
The provinces that could be affected are Chaco, Formosa, Salta, Tucumán, Santiago del Estero, Santa Fe, Corrientes, and Misiones, in northern Argentina.
In all of them, the maximum temperatures could be between 35°C and 43°C. However, the Argentine Meteorological Service did not rule out that higher temperatures could be recorded.
The situation will not improve at night, and no significant drop in temperatures is expected, with minimum temperatures between 22°C and 28°C.
According to Argentine authorities, this mass of warm air, which has also put Brazil and Paraguay on alert for extreme temperatures, could remain in the region until Sunday.
So far this year, the drought has hit Argentina’s agricultural sector, which fell 40.2% in the second quarter compared to last year, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (Indec).
Despite the southern winter just being over, extreme temperatures are expected to hit Argentina in the coming months, exacerbating the country’s climate-related economic problems.
This heat wave is occurring amid the El Niño periodic meteorological phenomenon that causes the waters of the Pacific Ocean adjacent to South America to warm, contributing to rising temperatures.
The meteorologists’ recommendations to the population are the usual ones in such cases: stay hydrated, wear light-colored clothing, avoid exposure to the sun during the hours of maximum radiation, avoid alcoholic beverages, eat fruit and vegetables, and avoid physical activity. EFE
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