Extreme heat so early is dangerous say experts

Boys dive into the River Ganga to beat the heat on a hot day, in Kolkata, on Wednesday. Pics/PTI

With Delhi recording a maximum temperature of 40.8 degrees Celsius on Tuesday and predicted to breach the 42-degree mark on Wednesday, public health experts warned the extreme heat so early in the year is particularly dangerous. The temperature in Delhi could soar to 44 degrees Celsius by Thursday, said the Met department. A yellow alert warning of a heatwave spell in Delhi starting April 28 has been issued.

An elderly man quenches his thirst on a hot summer afternoon, in Nadia

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the maximum temperature may even leap to 46 degrees Celsius in parts of Delhi. Temperature in some other parts of northern India could also reach 46 degrees. Delhi had recorded a maximum temperature of 43.2 degrees Celsius on April 21, 2017. The all-time high maximum temperature for the month was 45.6 degrees Celsius on April 29, 1941.

A deadly heatwave is building across India and Pakistan and new analysis by climate scientists has directly connected the heatwave with climate change. An analysis by Mariam Zachariah and Friederike Otto of Imperial College London found the heat that hit India earlier this month is already much more common as a result of higher global temperatures caused by human activities, like burning coal and other fossil fuels.

A monkey quenches its thirst on a hot day, in Bhubaneswar. Pic/ANI

Otto, senior lecturer in Climate Science at the Grantham Institute of Imperial College London, said, "This is now the case for every heatwave, everywhere in the world. Until net greenhouse gas emissions end, heatwaves in India and elsewhere will continue to become hotter and more dangerous."

Deadly 2015 heatwave

The forecast temperatures are similar to those seen in the deadly heatwaves that hit India and Pakistan in May-June 2015, which killed at least 4,500 people. In the deadly June 2015 heatwave, the New Delhi airport reached 44.6 degrees C, while the hottest temperatures in India were seen in Jharsuguda in Odisha at 49.4 degrees.

1941
Year when Delhi saw all-time high maximum temperature for April

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