Hot summer as Tiraspol sweats out heat wave

With Tiraspol temperatures hitting 35 degrees Celcius, the capital of Pridnestrovie is feeling the heat

TIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - Southern Pridnestrovie is in the midst of a short-term heat wave as temperatures are expected to reach the 90s on the Fahrenheit scale again today. As temperatures crept upwards, passing 35 degrees Celsius this week and with the possibility of heading towards 40 in some areas, residents were urged to stay hydrated and indoors when possible.

The same goes for today — as temperatures are again expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius — and people should stay out of the sun when possible, officials said.

Not everyone heeded the advice, however, and preferred going for a swim: With temperatures in the 90s (Fahrenheit) during the summer's longest-running heat wave, much of Tiraspol is cooling off by dipping into the Dniester river or nearby Dnestrovsk and the beaches of Lake Kuchurgan.

Meanwhile, beach-goers offered advice on how to handle the heat:
" - Stay cool and stay calm, and drink plenty of fluids," said Bogdan Trăistariu, tanning himself on the beach with a couple of friends.

" - Don't even think about the heat and keep a lot of liquids and everything with you," added another beach-goer. "Drink a lot of cool water and stuff like that."

Fewer emergencies than expected

Doing a brisk trade: Ice cream vendors in the nearby city of Bender (file photo)

Overall, area authorities said they had fewer heat-related emergencies than expected. The city's emergency response team advises people to dress in lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing that covers as much of you as possible; never leave children, seniors, or pets in a parked car during periods of intense heat; and make a special effort to check on neighbors, especially the elderly.

There have been no reports of electricity blackouts or brownouts. Pridnestrovie is a net energy producer, generating electricity from gas and from hydro power. Apart from energy used locally, the unrecognized country also exports electricity to neighboring Ukraine, Moldova and nearby Romania. Moreover, though a "piggy back" arrangement whereby exports to the Odessa area is traded for an equivalent amount of electricity produced in northern Ukraine, Pridnestrovie also exports electricity to Russia.

Temperatures for most of the past week has stayed in the mid-90s (Fahrenheit). Temperatures are expected to remain in the upper 80s and 90s through Wednesday.

See also:
» PMR heatwave brings record temperatures for May; locals hit the beach
» Filthy and freezing on the Moldovan campaign trail

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