Heatwave

People in India each experienced nearly 20 heatwave days in 2024 on average, of which about six-and-a-half days would not be expected were it not for climate change, according to a new global report published by The Lancet journal. Estimates suggest that an exposure to heat in 2024 resulted in a loss of 247 billion potential labour hours per year -- a record high of nearly 420 hours per person -- and 124 per cent more than that during 1990-1999. The agriculture sector accounted for 66 per cent, and construction sector for 20 per cent of the losses in 2024, according to the '2025 Report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change'. A reduced capacity of labour due to the extreme heat is associated with a potential loss of income of USD 194 billion in 2024, it said. An international team of 128 experts from 71 academic institutions and UN agencies, led by University College London, were involved in producing the ninth edition of the report. Published ahead of the 30th UN ..

India could experience 30 fewer extremely hot days each year, while the world on average could avoid 57 such days if countries meet their emission-cutting pledges under the 2015 Paris Agreement and limit global warming to 2.6 degrees Celsius this century, according to a new study published on Thursday. The analysis by Climate Central and World Weather Attribution said the global accord, which completes 10 years this year, is steering the world toward a safer climate but warned that the current pace of action is not enough. Even at 2.6 degrees Celsius, scientists caution, future generations will face dangerous heat, severe health risks and growing inequality unless countries move faster to phase out fossil fuels. The study found that at 4 degrees Celsius of warming, the level scientists projected before the Paris Agreement, the world would face an average of 114 hot days per year. If countries meet their current pledges and limit warming to 2.6 degrees Celsius, that number could dro

The world's major cities are now experiencing a quarter more very hot days every year on average than they did three decades ago, according to a new analysis published on Tuesday. Researchers at the UK-based International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) examined temperature data from 43 key cities, including the 40 most populous capitals, dating back to 1994. They found that the number of days above 35 degrees Celsius (very hot days) in these cities rose by 26 per cent over the 31-year period, climbing from an average of 1,062 annually between 1994 and 2003 to 1,335 between 2015 and 2024. Delhi, one of the cities where the population has grown by at least half since 2013, is among those facing worsening heat stress. The analysis warns that residents of informal settlements in cities such as Delhi are particularly vulnerable to sustained high temperatures because of poor housing and infrastructure. The study shows 2024 recorded the highest number of very hot days,

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

India reported 7,192 suspected heatstroke cases and only 14 confirmed deaths due to extreme heat between March 1 and June 24 this year, according to data obtained by PTI under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The country had reported nearly 48,000 cases of heatstroke and 159 deaths due to extreme heat in 2024, the warmest year on record in India since 1901. The data, shared by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), reveals that the majority of cases were reported in May, the peak of the summer season, with 2,962 suspected cases and three confirmed deaths. April saw 2,140 suspected cases and six confirmed deaths, while March recorded 705 cases and two deaths. During June, up to June 24, 1,385 suspected cases and three deaths were documented. Andhra Pradesh accounted for more than half of the total suspected heatstroke cases, reporting 4,055 during the period. Rajasthan reported 373 cases, followed by Odisha (350), Telangana (348) and Madhya Pradesh (297). Despite these

Children exposed early to extreme heat may lose up to 1.5 years of schooling with climate change having a direct impact on education and threatening to undo educational gains of recent decades, according to a new global report. Climate related stressors such as heat, wildfires, storms, floods, droughts, diseases and rising sea levels, affect education outcomes. Most low and middle-income countries are experiencing climate-related school closures every year, increasing chances of learning loss and dropout, it noted. The report compiled by UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring (GEM) team, Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education (MECCE) project and University of Saskatchewan in Canada has pointed out over that the past 20 years, schools were closed in at least 75 per cent of the extreme weather events, impacting five million people or more. Exposure to heat has significant detrimental effects on children's educational outcomes. An analysis linking census and climat

Europe's continuing heat wave on Wednesday helped fuel a deadly wildfire in Spain while the European Union presented plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under scorching temperatures. The blaze that broke out late on Tuesday created an enormous thick plume of ash and smoke that rose 14,000 metres into the sky, making it the largest registered by firefighters in Catalonia, a northeastern region of Spain. Two farmers were killed while apparently trying to flee in a vehicle, local authorities said Wednesday. Firefighters said that the fire spread at 28 kph (17 mph) at one point as it consumed 6,500 hectares (16,000 acres) mostly of grain fields. Wildfires today are not like they were before, Salvador Illa, the regional president of Catalonia, said. These are extremely dangerous. From the very first moment, it was considered to be beyond the capacity of extinction. I mean that not even with two or three times the number of firefighters, they have told me, it would have been possib

Spain sees hottest June in a century; more than 50,000 people evacuated amid wildfires in Turkiye and the Balkans

Key rice growing areas will also bake in the heat, threatening to damage the crop during a crucial development stage and risking lower output in one of the country's top-producing regions

'Very high and persistent temperatures are expected, both during the day and at night, which could pose a risk to exposed and/or vulnerable people,' Spain's state meteorological office, Aemet said

The report highlights that in 2024, heatwaves gripped a record area of the ocean, with sea surface temperatures hitting all-time highs

Saturday is expected to be the deadliest day, with an estimate of 266 heat-related deaths, nearly half of which could be recorded in London, according to the researchers

Delhi has been facing scorching summer heat over the past two weeks, with heat index temperatures reaching as high as 54.4 degrees Celsius last week

IMD has issued a yellow alert for Delhi till June 19, warning of thunderstorms, lightning and winds up to 50-60 kmph, with light to moderate rain likely during the early hours

Unrelenting heatwave across north and east regions has spiked sales of room air-conditioners (RAC) in June, but intermittent rains in several part of the country amid peak demand season have forced the industry players to lower sales projections to 10-15 per cent for this year. The summer, which is the peak season for sales of room air-conditioners, has disappointed AC makers this time, though there are some silver lining in June with impulse purchases happening due to the heatwave. RAC makers said after having an encouraging numbers in February and March, helped by an early arrival of summer, they were expecting a high double-digit volume growth of around 25 per cent from the last year, and had also built up inventory. "We all had planned for a 25 to 30 per cent growth, which is not going to take place. This is a disappointing summer; that is the truth. It is part and parcel of the game," Blue Star Managing Director B Thiagarajan told PTI. "We have to manage the situation and move

A red alert was issued for Delhi as it remained in the grip of an intense heatwave, with temperatures ranging from 40.9 to 45.0 degrees Celsius across various weather stations on Wednesday. The heat index, a measure of how hot it feels when humidity is factored in, touched an alarming 51.9 degrees Celsius. At 5.30 pm, Ayanagar was the hottest at 45 degrees Celsius, followed by Palam at 44.5 degrees Celsius, Ridge at 43.6 degrees Celsius, Pitampura at 43.5 degrees Celsius, Lodi Road at 43.4 degrees Celsius, Mayur Vihar at 40.9 degrees Celsius and Safdarjung --the city's base station -- reported 43.3 degrees Celsius. On the heat index crossing 50, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said it depends on temperature and relative humidity and varies throughout the day based on changes in these values. Additionally, the heat index is not validated for Indian conditions, and no official records of it are maintained. Heatwave conditions have been observed in Delhi and at isolated plac

In the grip of extreme heat, Delhi on Tuesday recorded its highest maximum temperature of the season at 43.8 degrees Celsius, 3.6 notches above the season's average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The real-feel temperature or heat index was 47.1 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, while the minimum temperature settled at 27.8 degrees Celsius. The humidity levels fluctuated between 39 per cent and 24 per cent, the weather department said. The IMD on Monday issued an orange alert for the capital city till Wednesday, warning people to stay cautious and take steps to protect themselves from the ongoing heatwave. According to the IMD, very hot weather will persist in Delhi until at least June 12. The daytime temperature on Wednesday is expected to hover around the 45-degree Celsius mark, while the nights will also be warm at around 29 degrees Celsius, the IMD said. Safdarjung, the base observatory of Delhi, on Tuesday recorded a maximum temperature of 43.8 degrees Celsius, w

On a scorching May afternoon last year, a ragpicker in Delhi's Ghazipur area collapsed from heat exhaustion. "The family rushed him to the hospital," says Majida Begum, a sanitation worker who witnessed it. "But he was declared dead on arrival. They had no proof that he died due to heat, so they were not given any compensation." His death was never officially counted, just one of the countless lives lost in India's intensifying heatwaves that go unrecorded and uncompensated. An investigation by PTI reveals that disjointed, outdated reporting systems are obscuring the true toll, weakening both public awareness and policy action. Accurate data on heat-related deaths helps identify who is most at risk. Without it, the government cannot plan effectively, create targeted policies or take timely action to save lives. But behind the missing numbers are real people, many poor and undocumented, whose deaths routinely slip through the cracks of India's incoherent reporting system. Current

Businesses will face potential penalties including fines of 500,000 yen ($3,475) if provisions aren't sufficient

The Supreme Court has sought the Centre's response on a plea over 700 heatwave deaths, urging urgent action to enforce disaster guidelines amid rising climate risks