Heatwave hit India unusually early this year; these states reeling under severe weather conditions
The states that are witnessing extreme heatwave conditions are Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
The northwestern parts of India are reeling under severe heatwave for the last couple of days. The states that are witnessing extreme weather conditions are Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. Higher temperatures also were felt in relatively cooler regions like Kashmir and Uttarakhand. The weather department had already issued an orange alert for Delhi on Monday.
The India Meteorological Department forecast that the temperature in New Delhi would reach 41.8 degrees Celsius (107.2 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday, nearly eight degrees above normal. A heatwave condition is declared when the temperature is at least 4.5 C (8 F) above average.
The main summer months — April, May and June — are always excruciatingly hot in most parts of India before monsoon rains bring cooler temperatures. But this year, the heat wave has arrived early and grown particularly intense.
Vimal Mishra, an expert at the Indian Institute of Technology’s Water and Climate Lab, told AFP, the number of Indian states hit by heat waves has grown in recent years, as extreme temperatures become more frequent and intense.
“If you are looking for the clearest signal of climate change in India, then heat waves are a classic example. They are unavoidable and will occur more frequently," Mishra said.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that heat waves and humidity-related heat stress will intensify in South Asia, and scientists who study climate change say Indians can expect more of the same hot temperatures in the coming years.
Heat waves are especially dangerous for daily wage workers, rickshaw drivers, street vendors and the homeless, many of whom have to work outside in hot conditions and are at the greatest risk of heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
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