India continues to battle temperatures soaring to record levels, especially in April.
The month has brought unusually intense heat, affecting even hill stations and other regions not usually associated with the weather.
The southern peninsular and southeastern coast regions, which include Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, among others, have been worst affected.
Let’s take a closer look.
Also read: Why do people faint in extreme temperatures?
April – The hottest month so far
According to The Indian Express, the Core Heatwave Zone (CHZ) spanning central, north, and peninsular India is prone to heatwave annually, between March and June.
Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, West Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Vidarbha in Maharashtra, parts of Gangetic West Bengal, coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana are the most heatwave-prone states or regions, the report explains.
However, this month, large areas of Karnataka, Kerala, Sikkim, Bihar, and Jharkhand also felt the heat, indicating that the temperatures are rapidly soaring during summers.
In Kerala, according to The Hindu, a 90-year-old woman and a 53-year-old man died on Sunday, as temperatures soared to 41.9 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit), nearly 5.5 degrees Celsius above normal in the state. The rising temperatures prompted authorities to issue warnings, asking people to take precautions against the heat such as staying indoors.
In neighbouring Tamil Nadu state, a local politician was handing out fresh fruit, coconuts, and cold drinks in Chennai to help people keep cool, as per Reuters.
In the eastern state of Odisha, where temperatures touched 44.9 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the highest recorded in April. At least two people have died this summer of sunstroke, said Odisha’s public health director, Niranjan Mishra.
As per The Times of India, Delhi also experienced an average maximum temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, slightly above the long-term average for the month. The National Capital crossed the 40 degrees Celsius mark only on one day.
A Hindustan Times report says two weather stations in Bengaluru recorded the third and fourth highest temperatures ever at 28 degrees Celsius and 37.6 degrees Celsius this month.
In Maharashtra’s Mumbai, Santacruz reported 39.1 degrees Celsius, marking a departure of 5.4 degrees Celsius from normal, on Monday. The metropolitan city witnessed five heatwave days in April so far, including “severe heatwave” on 16 April.
Lakshadweep’s Aminidivi reported the 10th-highest temperature ever and the fifth-highest for this month at 36.6 degrees Celsius, as per HT.
Arogyavaram in Andhra Pradesh recorded 41 degrees Celsius, while Kurnool reported 45.2 degrees Celsius, the third highest ever.
The temperatures reached 42.4 degrees Celsius, the second highest ever, and the highest this month in West Bengal’s Canning. Diamond Harbour in the state reported the sixth-highest temperature ever at 41.3 degrees Celsius.
However, soaring mercury has also extended to parts, such as Kerala’s Alappuzha and Maharashtra’s Matheran, which reported the highest temperatures ever this month – 38 degrees Celsius and 39 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Also read: Mumbai heatwave: Why temperatures are touching nearly 40 degrees Celsius
Other countries affected
In neighbouring Bangladesh, authorities again closed all primary schools across the country and educational institutions in almost half of districts including the capital as a severe heatwave saw temperatures climb above 43 degrees Celsius on Monday, as per Reuters.
According to AFP, Myanmar recorded its hottest-ever April temperature of 48.2 degrees Celsius, authorities said on Monday. The mercury hit 48.2 degrees Celsius in the town of Chauk in central Myanmar’s Magway region on Sunday, as per a statement from the country’s weather office, the highest temperature seen anywhere in Myanmar in April since records began 56 years ago.
The same day temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius in commercial hub Yangon and 44 degrees Celsius in the second day of Mandalay, the weather office said.
The West African nations of Mali and Burkina Faso experienced an exceptional heatwave from 1 April until 5 April, with soaring temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius triggering a large number of deaths.
According to the WWA report on the Sahel region, temperatures in Mali and Burkina Faso reached once-in-200-year levels.
Heat indices have hit 50 degrees Celsius in various regions in the Philippines, as the weather phenomenon El Nino intensifies the heat enveloping the nation in its summer months of March to May.
Global temperatures hit record highs last year.
The UN’s World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said Asia was warming at a particularly rapid pace, with the impact of heatwaves in the region becoming more severe.
Last year, high average temperatures were recorded from western Siberia to central Asia, as well as from eastern China to Japan.
The report also highlighted that most glaciers in the high-mountain region in Asia had lost significant mass because of record-breaking high temperatures and dry conditions, as per Reuters.
Presence of El Niño & anticyclone systems
At the beginning of April, the IMD had warned of extreme and prolonged heatwave conditions across various parts of the country.
Scientists have said climate change is contributing to more frequent, severe, and longer heatwaves during summer months, as per Reuters.
“Many countries in Asia experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
“Climate change exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events.”
The two key reasons behind the hot temperatures are – El Niño state and the persistent presence of anticyclone systems, explained The Indian Express.
Unfortunately, this year began in El Niño – which refers to an abnormal warming of surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
The El Niño state was developed in June last year, leading to soaring mercury levels, harsh and multiple heatwaves and lack of pre-monsoon rainfall, said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, IMD director-general told the newspaper.
Furthermore, the persistent presence of anticyclone systems is also to be blamed for such a hot month.
In a process known as air subsidence, these high-pressure systems, which are located at a height of roughly three kilometres and have a length of 1,000 to 2,000 kilometres, force the air beneath them towards Earth, as per Indian Express. The air that has been forcefully sunk as a result heats the surface of the Earth more.
These systems also cause the wind to blow from the land towards the sea, blocking the incoming, colder sea breeze that would otherwise occasionally cool the land.
April saw extreme temperatures and heatwaves brought on by El Niño and anticyclone systems, particularly over Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
What’s next
A heatwave to severe heatwave is expected to persist in east and south peninsular India for the next five days, as per IMD.
There would be “heatwave or severe heatwave conditions” across Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, interior Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, and in parts of Jharkhand and Rayalaseema.
Due to a heatwave, the weather service issued a red alert for the next two to three days for Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Odisha. On the other hand, Sikkim, Karnataka, and Telangana have all received an orange alert.
With inputs from agencies
 "WATCH: Pakistan is begging, while India is becoming a superpower, says leader Fazlur Rehman")
 "What is the new ‘card trap’ scam at ATMs? How can you be safe?")
 "Prajwal Revanna suspended from JD(S) moments after uncle HD Kumaraswamy denied 'protecting' him")
 "'Politics has hit new low': Amit Shah slams Congress over his viral doctored video")