Delhi, Odisha, Rajasthan… scorching heat is making people sweat, this year the heatwave has broken old records

New Delhi: Heat has created a terrible situation these days in most states across the country including Delhi-NCR. This time it has been much hotter than in the last few years. India has faced the longest heat wave so far in this summer. According to the data of the Meteorological Department (IMD), Odisha experienced the maximum heat wave; it lasted for 27 days between 1 March and 9 June. After this, heat wave prevailed for 23 days in western Rajasthan, 21 days in West Bengal which includes the plains of Ganga, and 20 days in Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh and western Uttar Pradesh. These figures are more than double the number of heat waves that usually occur in these areas throughout the year.

Where and for how many days did the heat wave last?

Heat waves are still raging in many of these areas. For example, Delhi has experienced heat waves for three more days since June 9, taking the total to 23 days. The weather department said on Thursday that severe heat waves are likely to persist in some parts of North India for the next 4-5 days. Now, understanding heat waves is a bit complicated. Usually, every area has different temperatures, so it is difficult to decide which day is considered a heat wave. 40 degrees Celsius may be very hot in some areas, while it may be normal for some other place. Therefore, the weather department sets different temperatures for different areas, which are crossed to declare a heat wave day.

This year the heatwave lasted twice as long as before

According to the data of the Meteorological Department (IMD), between March 1 and June 9, 14 out of 36 meteorological centers in the country recorded more than 15 heatwave days. These centers are spread across the country, with eastern and northern India being the most affected. Even cold hilly areas like Himachal Pradesh recorded heatwaves for 12 days. After this, heatwaves occurred for 11 days in Sikkim, 6 days in Jammu and Kashmir and 2 days in Uttarakhand.

Heat wave hits across the country

Meteorologist Madhavan Rajeevan said that IMD’s map shows more heat waves in India than ever before. This was expected and was predicted earlier. Last year too, the heat was very high. A major reason for such high heat is the El Niño effect. In the case of El Niño, we usually face more heat.

Why have the summer days increased?

It has been observed for the last few years that the number of heat and heatwave days is increasing continuously. It is important to understand the reason behind this. Meteorologist Madhavan Rajeevan says that global warming is further increasing the naturally occurring temperature changes. he/she said, ‘In the coming times, we may have to face heatwave days more often and for a longer period. Therefore, we need to be well prepared. Usually, heatwaves occur only for 6 to 8 days in a year in central and north-west India. But this time the heatwave days have surprised even the weather experts.

Heat wave will trouble you for the next five days

According to the Meteorological Department, severe heat wave conditions are likely to persist in Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi and Uttar Pradesh for the next five days (till June 18), after which these areas may get relief from the heat.

When does heat wave occur?

The maximum temperature of a weather station should be at least 40 degrees Celsius in plain areas and at least 30 degrees Celsius in hilly areas. Also, it should be 4.5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius higher than the normal temperature.
If the temperature is 6.5 degrees Celsius or more above normal, it is considered a severe heatwave day.
A heat wave day is declared if the temperature directly touches 45 °C, and a severe heat wave day is considered if it reaches 47 °C.
A heatwave day is considered when the air temperature on seashores is 37°C or more and is 4.5°C or more higher than normal.

All countries have different standards

Heat waves are declared in different ways in every country. The method of determining the temperature limit is different across the world. The Meteorological Department says that heat waves are defined based on the temperature of an area through threshold. The temperature is either measured directly or is determined on the basis of how much higher it is than the normal temperature. In some countries, heat waves are declared on the basis of heat index, which combines temperature and humidity, while in some places very high levels of temperature are considered as heat wave.