ON MAY 29, 2024, just as large parts of northern and central India were in the grip of extreme heatwave conditions, the Mungeshpur automatic weather station of the India Meteorological Department (imd) in north Delhi recorded 52.9oC. It was dubbed as the highest-ever maximum temperature recorded in the country. While the weather agency promptly refuted the reading, explaining that the anomalous temperature “could be due to error in the sensor or the local factor”, several other weather stations in Delhi and the National Capital Region that day recorded between 45.2oC to 49.1oC. Gujarat and Rajasthan suffered the worst, with 12 and 11 days of heatwaves, respectively, between May 16 and 26. Several cities shattered their all-time heat records for May. This includes Chandigarh, where temperature soared to 46.7°C on May 29, breaking its record of 46.5°C in May 1988.
Heatwaves are usual in these parts of the country during the summer season. "But the excess heat that made them punishing this year came from the warm winds blowing in from the Arabian Sea," says Raghu Murtugudde, professor of climate studies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and emeritus professor at the University of Maryland, US. According to research published in Earth Science Reviews in March 2022, the Arabian Sea has warmed by 1.2°C to 1.4°C in the past few decades. Usually, the ingress of warm winds from the Arabian Sea on the west is opposed by the strong trade winds from the northeast. But this year, it was different.
This story is from the July 01, 2024 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 01, 2024 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Joining The Carbon Club
India's carbon market will soon be a reality, but will it fulfil its aim of reducing emissions? A report by PARTH KUMAR and MANAS AGRAWAL
Trade On Emissions
EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a tariff on imports, is designed to protect European industries in the guise of climate action.
'The project will facilitate physical and cultural decimation of indigenous people'
The Great Nicobar Project has all the hallmarks of a disaster-seismic, ecological, human. Why did it get the go-ahead?
TASTE IT RED
Popularity of Karnataka's red jackfruit shows how biodiversity can be conserved by ensuring that communities benefit from it
MANY MYTHS OF CHIPKO
Misconceptions about the Chipko movement have overshadowed its true objectives.
The politics and economics of mpox
Africa's mpox epidemic stems from delayed responses, neglect of its health risks and the stark vaccine apartheid
Emerging risks
Even as the world gets set to eliminate substances threatening the ozone layer, climate change and space advancement pose new challenges.
Turn a new leaf
Scientists join hands to predict climate future of India's tropical forests
Festering troubles
The Democratic Republic of Congo struggles to contain mpox amid vaccine delays, conflict and fragile healthcare.
India sees unusual monsoon patterns
THE 2024 southwest monsoon has, between June 1 and September 1, led to excess rainfall in western and southern states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, while others like Nagaland, Manipur and Punjab recorded a deficit.