"Diagnosing" the scorching heat in the middle of a blazing day.

HNN.VN - In April, the first heatwave of 2026 occurred with intense and widespread heat. At the city's meteorological station, observation staff continued to diligently monitor the weather, braving the heat and staying at the station through each shift.

Báo Thừa Thiên Huế•15/04/2026

Compare the actual parameters at the observation tent (right) and the automatic weather station (left).

The heatwave, which has lasted for more than 10 days, has been marked by several worrying figures: the highest temperatures in all locations have exceeded the highest temperatures of 2025, and the lowest humidity has surpassed historical values. At the city's meteorological station, the temperature measured was 39.8°C (higher than 2025: 38.7°C), the lowest humidity was 28% (exceeding the historical value for April: 32%); at the Nam Dong station, it was 40.0°C (higher than 2025: 38.8°C), the lowest humidity was 32%; and at the A Luoi station, it was 37.0°C (higher than 2025: 36.1°C), the lowest humidity was 29% (exceeding the historical value for April: 32%).

Each day, the Meteorological Station (City Meteorological and Hydrological Observatory) has 4 people working, divided into 3 shifts. The daily meteorological data update times are: 1:00 AM, 4:00 AM, 7:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 7:00 PM, and 10:00 PM. Of these, the 1:00 AM, 7:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 7:00 PM time slots are the main observation periods. Around 1:00 PM each day is the peak heat level; observers must record the actual parameters, analyze, synthesize, and transmit the data electronically to the Meteorological and Hydrological System, while also sending international reports.

Ms. Le Thi Hong Van, a weather observer, shared: "At 1 PM, going to the meteorological garden sometimes makes me dizzy, but the priority is updating accurate data. After 5 minutes of the exact hour, the person on duty must immediately switch the electrical code!"

To ensure accurate heatwave warnings, the city's meteorological station is also equipped with an Italian-technology automatic meteorological station, transmitting data to the Central Meteorological and Hydrological Bureau in real time every 10 minutes.

According to Mr. Che Quang Hoi, head of the city's meteorological station, everyone must strictly adhere to procedures in carrying out their duties, especially the update schedule – this is the top priority. Besides checking the equipment, station staff must wear protective clothing, drink plenty of water, and record parameters such as cloud cover, air temperature, humidity, and ground temperature at the observation garden.

In the current hot weather conditions, observational data from meteorological stations is crucial for calculating and developing accurate weather forecasts. This helps agencies and the public be more proactive in preventing and responding to extreme heat.

Hue Today Online captures moments of meteorological observers tracking the intense heat:

The on-call staff schedules reminders via phone for specific time slots to remind you of tasks.

Record the humidity and temperature readings at the tent in the early afternoon. At this time, the sky was cloudless.

Upon examining the photogrammetry, burn marks appeared on the graph due to intense sunlight.

Deep soil thermometer for agricultural purposes.

Carefully record the data transmitted from the anemometer.

Compiling heatwave data for meteorological analysis.

This sun map shows numerous sunburns caused by the widespread intense heat during the past month of April.

Observer Le Thi Hong Van, using a sunshine map, recorded the peak temperature on April 8th.

This heatwave is prolonged, and no rain has been recorded in the city center. Therefore, the weather station only updates the 3-day rainfall map once.

One report noted low humidity at 28%, ground temperature at 60.7%, and a measured temperature of 39.8 degrees Celsius... all signaling that intense heatwaves are likely to continue.