Heat Wave

Glaciers in Switzerland the home to the most in the Alps lost 5.5 per cent of their ice volume this year, the second-biggest percentage drop on record due to heat waves and low winter snowfall, experts report. "Alpine glaciers have no chance of surviving in the long term under such conditions," the GLAMOS Swiss glacier monitoring service and Swiss Academy of Sciences said in a statement released Thursday. The trend has worsened in recent years: Over the past five years alone, the volume of ice in Switzerland has declined by nearly a fifth, the experts say. The report testifies to the latest concerns that global warming is wreaking havoc on Europe, the world's fastest-warming continent. "The warming that we are experiencing now can be attributed 100 per cent to anthropogenic climate change. It's as simple as that," said Matthias Huss, who heads GLAMOS. "Without human emissions or fossil fuels, we wouldn't have any warming at the moment." This year's ice volume loss continues ...

A widespread and dangerous heat wave was building across the US on Saturday, with triple-digit highs expected in the Southwest and Great Plains this weekend before spreading eastward under a dome of high pressure that meteorologists say could trap oppressive temperatures for a week or more. Forecasters advised people to stay hydrated and find places to cool off, warning of temperatures 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (8 to 14 degrees Celsius) warmer than normal in many areas, including at night - especially bad for people's health because their bodies won't have a chance to recover. The heat dome was expected to affect as much as two-thirds of the continental United States. "The heat doesn't necessarily stop when it's dark out," said Josh Adam, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Bismarck, North Dakota, where temperatures will surpass 100 F (37 C) until Tuesday, a dramatic spike for a state where summer temperatures are typically in the 80s. Tynika Smith of Bloomington,

In India, it is possible that so much more is on the ballot in every election that there is little space for issues such as public health

India’s economy is facing a new hidden tax — extreme heat. From falling factory productivity and rising electricity bills to lost jobs, lower farm output, and billions in economic damage

From rising West Asia tensions and oil shocks to heat stress on food systems and women farmers' role in India, here are the key insights from Business Standard's Opinion page today

Residents across India face extreme weather, heavy rain and storms lash the north, while west and central regions struggle with intense heat and soaring temperatures

Above-normal temperatures and heat wave conditions persist in parts of west and central India while thunderstorms may bring rain to eastern regions

Firefighters in Chile are battling forest fires that started on Sunday and have killed at least 19 people and left around 1,500 homeless as they swept through thousands of acres in the centre and south of the country, officials said. Five large wildfires were still active Monday in the South American nation, with temperatures higher than usual due to a summer heat wave, said the National Service for the Prevention of Disasters. Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in the central Biobio and neighbouring uble regions on Sunday. The emergency designation allows greater coordination with the military to rein wildfires. Boric said on his X account on Monday morning that weather conditions are adverse, which means some of the fires could reignite. Wildfires are common in Chile during the summer due to high temperatures and dry weather. The current outbreak of fires in central and southern Chile is one of the deadliest in recent years. In 2024, massive fires ..

Several bushfires are already burning in the state, with evacuation orders issued for small communities in the path of the blazes

The world is heating, but it is not just the planet that’s burning. Every minute, somewhere on Earth, someone dies from heat

This spring, the owners installed air conditioning - discreet Mitsubishi Compact+ units mounted against the exposed stone walls to preserve the château's traditional charm

Birds in tropical regions are now experiencing dangerously hot days about ten times more often than they did in the past

Tens of millions of people across the Midwest and East endured dangerously hot temperatures as a sprawling June heat wave that gripped much of the US was expected to last well into this week. Most of the northeastern quadrant of the country from Minnesota to Maine was under some type of heat advisory on Sunday. So were parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi, the National Weather Service said. Weather service offices throughout the region warned of sweltering and sometimes life-threatening conditions through Wednesday. Please plan ahead to take frequent breaks if you must be outside, stay hydrated and provide plenty of water and shade for any outdoor animals, the service office in Wakefield, Virginia, said on X. Meteorologists say a phenomenon known as a heat dome, a large area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere that traps heat and humidity, is responsible for the extreme temperatures. Meanwhile, twin 6-year-old girls were among three people killed when ...

The Indian government is cracking down on air conditioner settings, limiting them to between 20°C and 28°C. But will these new regulations truly make a difference in energy conservation

The city baked under the intense summer heat as the heat index hit 50.2°C; humidity and poor air quality worsen conditions

As we observe World Health Day under the theme "My health, My right", thousands of outdoor workers across the national capital from auto-rickshaw drivers and rickshaw pullers to roadside vendors are grappling with a growing health crisis due to extreme heat and air pollution. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for the city, forecasting a heatwave to persist until Wednesday. Delhi's maximum temperature settled at 38.2 degrees Celsius, 3.1 degrees above the seasonal average on Sunday. The minimum temperature was 18.5 degrees Celsius, and the Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the poor' category at 209. Highlighting the physical toll of the heatwave, auto-rickshaw driver Santosh Hazra said, "Skin gets burnt during a heatwave; loo also affects health. There's ample availability of free water in Delhi but there's a shortage of shaded areas to rest." Another auto driver, Prashant Kumar (24), complained of feeling drowsy during the hot season. "I've bee

According to the IMD, India is on track for above-normal summer temperatures from April to June, with heat wave days likely to increase across central, eastern and northwestern regions

India should prepare for a nine to 10 per cent growth in peak electricity demand this summer with the country expected to experience more heatwaves, experts have warned. Last year, the all-India peak electricity demand crossed 250 gigawatts (GW) on May 30, which was 6.3 per cent higher than projections. Climate change-induced heat stress is one of the key factors driving electricity demand. Currently, industries, households and agriculture account for 33 per cent, 28 per cent and 19 per cent of India's total electricity consumption, respectively. Household electricity demand has grown the fastest over the past decade, according to Disha Agarwal, Senior Programme Lead Renewables at the Delhi-based think tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water. The share of household electricity consumption increased from 22 per cent in 2012-13 to 25 per cent in 2022-23. Much of this rise can be attributed to economic growth and the increasing need for cooling due to rising temperatures, expert

Delhi recorded its hottest day of the year on March 12, with temperatures reaching 34.8 degrees Celsius, 6.4 degrees Celsius above the daily average

Eighth annual Lancet Countdown on health and climate change report, authored by 122 global experts, found that high temperatures, drought and heavy rainfall are increasingly impacting people's health