The Meteorological Department of India has warned of high temperatures in certain parts of northern India, including the capital Delhi, for this week.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the North and the Central States – including Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat – can expect maximum temperatures going on 40C.
It has expressed a yellow alert which means that the heat is tolerable for the general public but can cause moderate health problems for infants, the elderly and people with chronic diseases.
Northern India generally sees heat waves between April and June, but in recent years, global warming and climate change have caused extreme temperatures earlier and last longer.
According to IMD forecasts, Delhi’s highest temperature is expected to reach 41C on Monday afternoon. The average temperature for the city last year was 37 ° C.
People were advised to avoid exposure to heat, to wear light and breathable cotton clothes and to cover their heads with a cloth or an umbrella outside.
The capital recorded a maximum temperature of 38.2c on Sunday.
Last week, the head of the IMD mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that most parts of India Live an intense heat wave This summer, with temperatures above normal expected in most of the country.
States like Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha could see up to 10 to 11 days of heat waves, said Mohapatra.
“From April to June, most parts of the north and eastern India, central India and the northwest plains should undergo two to four days of heat waves that normal,” he added.
Heat waves generally begin to occur in northern India from the end of April, but we note that their occurrence was recently exacerbated by climate change, explains Mahesh Palawat, vice-president of meteorology and climate change of the Skymet weather forecasting company.
“We are going directly from winter to summer; spring in northern India is shrinking,” he said.
“In the coming days, we will see the speeds of the wind slow down with a clear sky. This naturally leads to an increase in temperature,” added Mr. Palawat.
Last year, India recorded its warmest day of 50.5 ° C in the state of Rajasthan. Over 40,000 heat stroke cases have also been reported.
A weather station in Delhi in May recorded a maximum temperature of 52.9cAlthough the government later declared that it was due to a sensor error and Revise it by 3C.
Nearly 150 people died due to the heat wave in 2024, according to official data, but independent researchers said that the toll was much higher.
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