Much of Japan has sweltered under intense heat on Thursday, including the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, which experienced record high temperatures. The Japan Meteorological Agency says Kitami City hit 39.0 degrees Celsius, a local record high. Another city, Obihiro, also marked more than 38 degrees during the day.
Hokkaido wilts under unusual heat
NHK World’s Aoki Midori spoke from Obihiro City, one of the hottest places in Japan on Thursday, despite being far to the north.
NHK World’s Aoki Midori reports from Obihiro.
Q: How are you feeling in one of the hottest places in the country right now?
A: I have lived here for 2 years now and I have never felt heat like this. We’re in the Tokachi region, which has been under a heat stroke alert for three straight days. But today is definitely the worst so far. The sun is especially strong…. so it was hot, even in the morning.
Burning heat continues in Obihiro.
I don’t know if you can tell on camera, but I can’t stop sweating! It feels like my skin is burning. I can’t overstate how crazy it is — to have heat like this in Hokkaido, of all places.
Q: The region is just not used to coping with the heat, right?
A: Exactly. Because Hokkaido usually has cooler summers, many buildings here don’t have air-conditioning. So even if you’re inside, you’re at risk of heatstroke.
Hospitals and schools are trying to keep things cool by doing things such as installing fans. But some schools even went a step further and shortened classes — or cancelled them entirely.
Officials are also going door-to-door to make sure people are safe. They’re visiting elderly residents at home, to see if they’re staying hydrated. Cooling shelters have also been set up in some public facilities.
Officials visited elderly residents to give advice on avoiding heatstroke.
But the heat isn’t just putting people’s health at risk. There’s fears about what it could do to livelihoods.
This region is one of Japan’s dairy powerhouses, and many veterinarians say heatstroke is also hitting the area’s cattle population hard. Even agricultural farms are struggling – if the heat drags on, their crops may die.
Farmers use fans and frequently pour water on cattle but they are still losing appetite because of the heat.
If things don’t cool down soon, people across Japan will start to see the impact… at the dinner table.
Why the intense Hokkaido heat?
This kind of heat in northern Japan is very rare. NHK World Meteorologist Tsietsi Monare said there were several reasons why it is happening now.
NHK World Meteorologist Tsietsi Monare
“There is hot air flowing in from northern China. And this is normal for this time of the year. But it becomes more intense for people in northeastern Hokkaido when that hot air combines with a phenomenon called the Foehn Effect. The Foehn Effect is caused by strong westerly winds blowing into Hokkaido,” he said.
Tsietsi said the warm, dry air descends along the mountain while the cool air is blocked by the slope barrier, leading to intense heat domes or heat waves.
“Over the last 100 years or so, we have seen temperatures rising due to climate change and unfortunately this year, just like 2023 and 2024, we will continue to see these anomalies,” he added.
AloJapan.com