Page 6 - Heatwaves

Daytime temperature nears 40 degree Celsius in Delhi as heat rises

Thursday's forecast indicated a minimum temperature of 19 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 38 degrees Celsius

Health minister urges precautions as IMD issues heatwave warning for K'taka

Ainapur Hobli village in the Kalaburagi district recorded the highest temperature in the last 24 hours at 42.8 degrees Celsius

Climate change more robust now, La Nina may lose impact soon: Report

Climate change is growing stronger and more robust, and the cooling, counter effects of La Nina may not be effective in a warmer future, climate scientists said, assessing current heat trends seen in large parts of the country. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted an early summer this year, with above normal temperatures and intense, long heatwave spells. The country experienced its warmest February since 1901, with the fifth lowest rainfall since 2001, it said. While human-caused climate change is increasingly driving a 'new normal' marked by a warmer winter and shorter spring, scientists also draw attention to the yearly changes in weather patterns, termed 'year-to-year variability'. "For example, updates from the IMD this year suggest that it was an unusually dry winter," Arpita Mondal, associate professor at the centre for climate studies at IIT Bombay, told PTI. She explained that rain is a natural cooling process helping bring temperatures down. Raghu ...

India likely underreporting heat-related deaths: WHO's ex-chief scientist

Soumya Swaminathan says fatalities just 'tip of iceberg', heat wave affecting people economically, mentally

Warmer days, fewer cold spells: Why Delhi's winter felt hotter this time

Cold waves, a defining characteristic of Delhi's winters, were almost entirely absent this season. December recorded just one cold wave day

Fire-ravaged Southern California braces for gusty winds, high wildfire risk

Southern Californians are bracing for gusty winds and a heightened risk of wildfires, less than two weeks after deadly blazes killed at least 27 people and ravaged thousands of homes. The National Weather Service has issued warning of a "particularly dangerous situation" for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties from Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning due to low humidity and damaging Santa Ana winds. Gusts could peak at 113 kmph along the coast and 161 kmph in the mountains and foothills. Windy weather and single-digit humidity are expected to linger through Thursday, said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. He said the fire risk is also elevated because the region hasn't seen rain since April. Critical fire weather with wind gusts up to 97 kmph was also forecast for other Southern California communities on Monday and Tuesday stretching to San Diego, with residents urged to take steps to get ready to evacuate such as creating an emergency kit

Los Angeles evacuees told to stay away from home at least another week

With wildfires burning for a 10th day, firefighters expressed relief over withstanding recent red flag conditions of high desert winds and low humidity without either of the two monster fires growing

Los Angeles 'Red Flag' wildfire warnings removed, but dangers persist

Some 6.5 million people remained under a critical fire threat, after the fires consumed an area nearly the size of Washington, DC, resulting in at least 25 deaths so far, authorities said

Mercury rising: Can India tackle the heat and protect lives, livelihoods?

IMD said 2024 was the warmest on record in India since 1901, with the average minimum temperature settling 0.90 degrees Celsius above the long-period average

Assam faces heatwave conditions, school timings changed in Dibrugarh

The order stated that school hours would start early and end accordingly and similar other guidelines

Earth sets new record for hottest summer, raising global heat concerns

Summer 2024 sweltered to Earth's hottest on record, making it even more likely that this year will end up as the warmest humanity has measured, European climate service Copernicus reported Friday. And if this sounds familiar, that's because the records the globe shattered were set just last year as human-caused climate change, with a temporary boost from an El Nino, keeps dialling up temperatures and extreme weather, scientists said. The northern meteorological summer June, July and August averaged 16.8 degrees Celsius (62.24 degrees Fahrenheit), according to Copernicus. That's 0.03 degrees Celsius (0.05 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the old record in 2023. Copernicus records go back to 1940, but American, British and Japanese records, which start in the mid-19th century, show the last decade has been the hottest since regular measurements were taken and likely in about 120,000 years, according to some scientists. The Augusts of both 2024 and 2023 tied for the hottest Augusts ..

Record heat in Iran raises global concern as heat index touches 82 degrees

If verified, these figures could set new records for the highest heat index and dew point ever documented on Earth

California faces summer of extremes, from heat waves and wildfires to snow

An unusually cold weather system from the Gulf of Alaska interrupted summer along the West Coast on Saturday, bringing snow to Washington state's Mount Rainier and a national park in Northern California, causing authorities to close part of a highway that runs through the park. Parts of Highway 89 through Lassen Volcanic National Park in California were closed Saturday after an estimated three inches of snow fell overnight, according to the National Weather Service. Photos posted by the National Weather Service and local authorities showed a white-covered peak from Rainier and a dusting of snow at Minaret Vista, a lookout point southeast of Yosemite National Park in California's Sierra Nevada. Madera County Deputy Sheriff Larry Rich said it was definitely unexpected to see snow at Minaret Vista in August. It's not every day you get to spend your birthday surrounded by a winter wonderland in the middle of summer, he said in a statement. It made for a day I won't soon forget, and a ..

Earth ends 13-month streak of record heat: Here's what to expect next

Global warming has consistently toppled records for warm global average temperatures in recent decades

Europe reported 50,000 heat-related deaths in 2023 amid record temperatures

As climate change continues to raise temperatures, Europeans are exposed to increasingly significant health risks as they reside on the fastest-warming continent

Record-breaking wildfires scorch more than 1.4 million acres in Oregon

Wildfires in Oregon have burned more acres of land in 2024 than in any year since reliable records began, authorities said Friday, with the mid-August peak of fire season still on the horizon. Blazes have scorched more than 1.4 million acres, or nearly 2,200 square miles (5,700 square kilometers), Northwest Interagency Coordination Center spokesperson Carol Connolly said. That's more than any other year since 1992, when reliable records began to be kept, she said, and surpasses the previous record set in 2020. Connolly said 71 large fires have burned the vast majority of the land this year. Large fires are defined as those that consume more than 100 acres (40 hectares) of timber or more than 300 acres (120 hectares) of grass or brush. Thirty-two homes in the state have been lost to the fires, she said, which have been fueled by high temperatures, dry weather and low humidity. They have prompted evacuation notices across the state and largely torched rural and mountain areas, althou

Investors grow concerned with India's heatwaves as they hit earnings

The heatwave featured no fewer than 80 times in earnings calls for the quarter ended June

84% of Indian districts at risk of heatwaves, 70% prone to extreme rainfall

Over 84 per cent of Indian districts are prone to extreme heat waves and 70 per cent of those are witnessing increased frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events, a study by IPE-Global and GIS company Esri India said on Tuesday. The study projects that eight out of 10 Indians will be exposed to extreme events by 2036. IPE Global, Climate Change and Sustainability Practice, Head Abinash Mohanty, said that the current trend of catastrophic extreme heat and rainfall events is a result of 0.6 degree Celcius temperature rise in the last century. Recent Kerala landslides triggered by incessant and erratic rainfall episodes and the cities getting paralysed with sudden and abrupt downpour is a testament that climate is changed. Our analysis suggests that 8 out of 10 Indians will be highly exposed to extreme events by 2036, Mohanty said. According to the study, the frequency, intensity, and unpredictability of these extreme heat and rainfall events have also risen in recent ...

Blue Star Q1 results: PAT jumps 102.6% to Rs 169 cr, revenue up 28.7%

Blue Star's consolidated net profit rose 102.6 per cent to Rs 169 crore ($20.14 million) for the three months ended June 30, surpassing analysts' expectations of Rs 141 crore

Record temperatures scorch eastern China, driving up power demand

In the east and northwest of China, temperatures as high as 43.9 degrees Celsius