PremiumSeveral Indian states are witnessing heatwave conditions as the southwest monsoon has been delayed this year. A heat wave is declared when the actual maximum temperature is greater than the normal maximum temperature which is greater than 40 degrees Celsius.
Although the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has projected that the monsoon would advance from July 10 in the country, several cities in India are experiencing over 40 degrees Celsius temperature currently.
According to Skymet weather, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana are among the hottest states where the mercury has settled above 40 degrees Celsius at present.
Additionally, Uttar Pradesh's Agra recorded 43.4 degrees Celsius on Monday, the weather department added.
Here are the 10 hottest places in India on Monday, according to Skymet Weather. And the Capital with its soaring mercury is one of them.
National capital Delhi reported 41 degrees Celsius on Monday, even as IMD as predicted thunderstorms with light rain for some parts of the city.
Further, heatwaves have claimed more than 17,000 lives in 50 years in India, according to a paper recently published by the country's top meteorologists.
The paper said there were 706 heatwave incidents in the country from 1971-2019.
The research paper was authored by M Rajeevan, Secretary of Ministry of Earth Science, along with scientists Kamaljit Ray, S S Ray, R K Giri, and A P Dimri, earlier this year. Kamaljit Ray is the lead author of the paper.
Heatwave is one of the extreme weather events (EWE). In 50 years (1971-2019) EWE killed 1,41,308 people. Of this, 17,362 people were killed due to heatwave - a little over 12% of the total deaths recorded, the study said.
The maximum heatwave deaths were in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Odisha, it added. Core Heatwave Zone is the most prone area for a heatwave. The Core Heatwave Zone covers Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
Heatwave health risks:
Four common health impacts resulting from excessive exposure to heatwaves include dehydration, cramps, exhaustion, and heatstroke. There is also a rise in the number of cases of anxiety, palpitations, nervousness, and behavioural change linked to extreme temperature rise.
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