Mint Primer | Into the 50s: Why heatwaves are hotter & longer
At 2.30pm on Wednesday, the NCR’s temperature hit a shocking 52.3 degrees Celsius, its hottest day ever, according to a screenshot taken by Mint. Earth sciences minister Kiren Rijuju later said this was “not official yet" and described such a high temperature as “very unlikely" while asking the weather office to verify the report. Nonetheless, extreme hot weather is increasing both in duration and intensity.
Mint takes a look at heatwaves, what causes them and how prepared we are to deal with this weather event. For most of April, India saw heatwave or ‘severe heatwave’ conditions, and it’s continuing in May as well. Central, North and Peninsular India has borne the brunt of it.
Worst hit were Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. Even Kerala and Sikkim which were not part of the heatwave zone have started experiencing it. Recent studies show humidity levels have risen significantly, and night-time cooling has moderated.
Both these factors have increased the intensity of the heatwave. Experts point to two factors. El Nino, a weather pattern that causes abnormal warming of waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, typically leads to heatwaves and extreme heat weather conditions across many parts of the world.
The year 2024 began with strong El Nino conditions. The second is the presence of high-pressure systems over the Southern peninsula and South-Eastern coastal areas. These high-push warm air close to the Earth’s surface, adding to the heat.
They also prevent incoming sea breeze that cools the land. This explains why night-time cooling has been to a lower scale than before. Not all hot days are heatwaves.
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