A severe heat wave hit large parts of India on Tuesday. Temperatures in major cities of the country have risen sharply above normal. According to the Met Office, the maximum temperature in capital Delhi ranged from 42 to 44 degrees Celsius and Banda in Uttar Pradesh touched 47.6 degrees Celsius for the second consecutive day. Similarly, Maharashtra’s Vidarbha, Ahmedabad and Nagpur recorded 41 to 43 degrees Celsius and Jaipur and Lucknow recorded 40-41 degrees Celsius.
Hyderabad and Chennai in southern India, as well as the coastal cities of Mumbai and Kolkata, also experienced daytime temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius and excessive humidity. Even in places like Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir, the night minimum temperature was 5 degrees Celsius above normal. According to the India Meteorological Department, the heat wave will continue in northwestern and central Indian states and temperatures are expected to exceed 45 degrees Celsius at some places. However, while South India will be hot during the day and uncomfortable at night, rain and thundershowers are expected over parts of Northeast and East India.
According to experts, temperatures in cities are up to 10 degrees higher than in rural areas due to normal temperatures in April and May and the ‘urban heat island’ effect. Also, concrete buildings destroy green cover, insufficient pre-monsoon rains and man-made global warming have aggravated the situation. In parallel, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that global El Nino has increased heat waves in India and the impact is expected to peak between May and August. 2024 was the hottest year on record.
El Nino is expected to weaken the southwest monsoon in 2026 and rainfall across the country will be below normal, at 92 percent of the long-term average. In view of the inclement weather, hospitals are being prepared for any eventuality and the government has issued health advisories to the public to drink enough water and avoid going out during the day. In rural areas, farmers are also struggling to protect their crops and livestock from the extreme heat.
At present, the whole country has no option but to wait for the arrival of westerly winds and monsoons to escape the heat wave. Until the situation improves, residents of the worst-hit plains are urged to continue taking necessary preventive measures to reduce health and economic losses.
