
(ReliableNews.org) – India experienced a major heat wave recently. Several cities saw temperatures climb into the triple digits. Dozens of people are now dead and thousands were sickened.
The heat arrived early in India this year, where temperatures soared to 122 degrees Fahrenheit in some places. The capital, New Delhi, recorded its hottest day ever on May 29 with 127 degrees Fahrenheit. However, that may be lowered if the weather department determines the sensors were faulty.
More than 100 people have reportedly died so far and it’s only early summer in the country. Approximately 25,000 people have fallen ill. Scientists have said the scorching temperatures are the result of many factors, including climate change.
Meteorologist Rajib Chattopadhyay conducted a study that revealed a 30% increase in moist heat stress between 1980 and 2020. He said the areas under heat stress have increased from 30% to 40% in the last 70 years. India Meteorological Department’s D.S. Pai was part of the study and said the climate change-triggered moisture has made it feel even hotter over the last four decades.
India isn’t alone. The United States is seeing a heatwave and it’s not even summer yet. Parts of Florida have seen temperatures soar to 98 degrees Fahrenheit with a heat index reaching into the triple digits. The Southwest is also experiencing a heat wave that will roast cities from the Gulf Coast up to California.
In 2023, more than 2,300 people passed away due to excessive temperatures. Experts believe that was only a fraction of the number of people who really died. Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M, said that people who work outside or can’t air-condition their house for whatever reason are the ones dying. “It’s really quite, quite grim,” he told PBS.
Brian McNoldy, a University of Miami tropical meteorology researcher, said 2023 “was crazy.” he said that Miami broke its daily heat index record on 40% of the days between mid-June to mid-October.
Dessler said the heat wave last year is “a taste of the future.”
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