Page 4 - Heatwaves

Climate change drives rise of 'coolcations' as tourists flee heatwaves

Heatwaves forced closures of sites like the Acropolis and Eiffel Tower, with Europe facing a growing tourism divide as climate change impacts north and south differently

India recorded 7K heatstroke cases, 14 deaths in March-June period: RTI

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

2023's marine heatwaves signal early irreversible coral damage: Study

Marine heatwaves -- prolonged periods of raised ocean temperatures than what are typical for that time of year -- experienced in 2023 were not only unprecedented, but may have also signalled a potential climate tipping point, with irreversible, negative impacts to coral reefs and ecosystems, according to a new study. Researchers from China and the US found that regions in oceans across the globe, including the North Atlantic, and the tropical, south and north Pacific experienced extreme marine heatwaves -- the longest in duration, widest in extent and highest in intensity on record. The findings, published in the journal Science, show that the most intense warming occurred in the North Atlantic, tropical eastern Pacific, north Pacific, and southwest Pacific, which "collectively accounted for 90 per cent of the global ocean warming". Heatwaves in the North Atlantic which began mid-2022 persisted for 525 days with an intensity four times the typical, making it "the longest recorded ..

Children exposed to heat wave may lose up to 1.5 years of schooling: Report

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

China's blistering heat leaves workers exposed as gig economy booms

According to The Lancet, yearly heat wave-related deaths in China have now nearly doubled compared with 1986 to 2005, with more than 37,000 deaths in 2023 alone

Heatwaves grip Europe: Red alerts, wildfires, Eiffel Tower closed

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

China's scorching July heatwave to strain power grid as demand surges

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

Europe hit by extreme heatwave after recording hottest March ever

'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

Harsh climate claims over 2,000 lives in India in 2024: WMO climate report

Asia is heating nearly twice as fast as the global average, triggering severe heatwaves, rainfall anomalies and cyclonic activity across the region in 2024, WMO has said

Asia warming at nearly twice global rate, fuelling extreme weather: WMO

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

UK heat wave could claim nearly 600 lives this week, scientists warn

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 on red alert as mercury soars, rain may bring relief after June 14

In Delhi, mercury levels have surged past 43 degrees Celsius, intensifying discomfort across the city and prompting health advisories amid rising cases of heat-related illnesses

Himalayan region to experience hotter summer, more rain, says ICIMOD

Temperatures are expected to be two degrees Celsius higher than average across the whole Hindu Kush Himalayan region this summer, according to a new analysis by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The ICIMOD also predicted that India, Nepal, Pakistan as well as China's Tibetan Autonomous Region will receive above-average rainfall. With floods the leading cause of deaths and economic damage in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, and close to three-quarters (72.5 per cent) of all floods from 1980 to 2024 occurring during the summer monsoon season, experts warn disaster agencies and communities to be prepared for a possible rise in climate risks. The forecasts we've studied are unanimous in predicting a hotter monsoon across the entire HKH, with a trend towards higher-than-normal rainfall in major parts of the region, Arun Bhakta Shrestha, senior advisor at ICIMOD, said. Rising temperatures and more extreme rain raise the risk of water-induced ...

IMD issues orange alert as heatwave grips Delhi, air quality remains poor

On Tuesday, Delhi recorded its highest maximum temperature of the season at 43.8 degrees Celsius, which is 3.6 degrees above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD)

India's deadly heatwaves worsen, but data gap masks true death toll

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

Highways baking at 70 degrees C hint at scorching summer across China, US

Weeks before the official start of the Northern Hemisphere's summer, signs are emerging that the coming months will be blistering in North America, Europe and Asia

Mumbai braces for more intense rain, Delhi sees relief from heatwave

Heavy rain and widespread waterlogging disrupted flights and trains operations in Mumbai with several airlines such as IndiGo and Air India issuing a travel advisory

SC seeks Centre's response on 700 heatwave deaths, calls for urgent action

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

India's nights are heating up faster than days, 76% population at risk

A new national study finds night-time temperatures rising faster than daytime highs in 70% of districts, exposing millions to prolonged, dangerous levels of heat stress

Delhi's power demand peaks at 7,401 MW as scorching heat continues

Amid the prevailing hot and humid weather, the national capital's power demand clocked at 7,401 MW on Tuesday afternoon, the highest for the summer season, so far, discom officials said. The State Load Dispatch Centre Delhi's real-time data showed the peak demand was 7,401 MW at 3:11 pm. BSES discoms - BRPL and BYPL "successfully" met the peak power demand of 3,285 MW and 1,559 MW, respectively, on the day, said a company spokesperson. The BSES discoms were prepared to handle the growing power demand in the city, aided by over 2,100 MW of green power during' summer months, he added. "BSES discoms are geared-up to ensure reliable power supply to meet the power demand of more than 50 lakh consumers in South, West, East and Central Delhi, including long term power purchase agreements,banking arrangements with other states and deployment of latest technologies for predicting power demand accurately," the spokesperson said. Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited said in a statement that