India must be prepared for more intense heat waves to come, the country’s meteorological department said, as the South Asian nation recorded unusual heat in April along with other countries in the region.
Large parts of Asia, from India to southern China to Thailand, was enveloped for weeks with intense heat waves that set in unusually early this year.
Though April is typically one of the warmest months, 2023 saw countries including Laos, Thailand and Myanmar experiencing their highest recorded temperatures of between 42 C to more than 45 C.
Temperatures in India’s Prayagraj district and eastern Odisha state had exceeded 44 C in mid-April, while at least 13 people died and more than 50 others taken to hospital from heatstroke in the western Maharashtra state.
Heat waves are common between March and July in the country, but the hot spells have become more intense, more frequent and longer in recent years.
India and Pakistan saw more severe heat waves in 2022, recording the highest March temperatures since records began over 120 years ago, but the scorching April heat this year appears to have affected a much wider area.
The Indian Meteorological Department is expecting above-average temperatures and heat waves until the end of May.
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