Southeast Asia is coping with a weekslong heat wave as record-high temperatures have led to school closings in several countries and urgent health warnings throughout the region.

STORY: Heat indices says it's felt like a whopping 122 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of the Philippines in recent days as El Nino ratchets up humid summer heat that began in March.As a result, thousands of schools have suspended classes because of sweltering temperatures - affecting more than 3.

Scorching temperatures coincided with a nationwide strike of jeepneys, the main mode of public transport in the country.

The Philippines announced it will halt in-person classes at public schools, while Thai power demand rose to a record, as the heat wave gripping southern Asia continued to take its toll.

South and Southeast Asia braced for more extreme heat on Sunday as authorities across the region issued health warnings and residents fled to parks and air-conditioned malls for relief.

In Thailand, power demand reached a record 36,356 megawatts late on Saturday, the Ministry of Energy said. The country's northern and northeastern regions are expected to be the h