Pre-monsoon season this year second hottest in India; winters warming up faster: CSE study

While summer or pre-monsoon season this year has overtaken 2016 records as the second hottest pre-monsoon season in the country, winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up faster, according to the latest findings by the Urban Lab of the Centre for Science and Environment.

According to the study, land surface temperatures in Delhi have been the highest since 2010, and the city recorded a significant positive anomaly (temperature higher than expected) on all three temperature parameters.

In a bid to understand the warming trend comprehensively, the study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has analyzed the temperature trends by covering all three dimensions of heat stress -- surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index).

In Delhi, the air temperature has been 1.77 degrees Celsius hotter than in 2010, and the land surface temperature is 1.95 degrees Celsius hotter, the study said.

According to the CSE analysis, the daily average heat index crossed 40 degrees Celsius in June 2022. It said March and April have been unusually dry in Delhi, but humidity started to rise in May with some scattered rain spells. But this spike in humidity has led to an increase in the heat index in the city, indicating increased thermal discomfort among the population.

''The highest land surface temperature was observed on May 16, 2020, when 53.9 degrees Celsius was recorded within city limits, followed by May 14, 2022, with a maximum land surface temperature of 51.8 degrees Celsius. In the previous years, the maximum land surface temperature was observed to be in the mid-40s range,'' the CSE findings said.

It further said during the heatwave in May 2022, the land surface temperature across Delhi shot above 38 degrees Celsius, which was ''unusual as the green pockets within the city have not heated up to this magnitude in the previous years,'' and that the average land surface temperature has been getting higher than the daily average air temperature.

''Industrial and agricultural zone recorded the highest increase in land surface temperature between March to May. The regions at the city periphery in the north, southwest and northwest Delhi have seen the extremely high surface temperature rise from March 19 to May 14, 2022,'' the study said.

The study further noted that even the temperature of the water bodies rose to 29-30 degrees Celsius in May, which was well below 27 degrees Celsius in March.

According to CSE's analysis of air temperature variation among the city's stations, Chandni Chowk recorded the highest average air temperature on May 14, 2022, at 40.39 degrees Celsius, followed by Punjabi Bagh at 40.29 degrees Celsius, Mundka at 39.5 degrees Celsius, and Paharganj at 39.1 degrees Celsius.

CSE said the objective of the city analysis was to understand the combined effect of climate change-induced unseasonal heatwaves.

The study is based on a comparative statistical analysis of temperature anomalies and observed heat-related impact in Indian cities and regions.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)