The exceptionally high temperatures recorded in New Delhi over the past couple of days are remarkable but not unprecedented. In recent years, the world has seen numerous extreme weather events that highlight the escalating severity of climate change.
Delhi is now among the regions experiencing record-breaking temperatures, often exceeding 50 degrees Celsius. On Wednesday (May 29), temperature in parts of Delhi reportedly reached 52.9 degrees Celsius, marking the highest ever recorded in India.
What is the ‘feels-like’ temperature?
What are the health risks of high temperature?
Are these a result of climate change?
India still below average global temperatures
April 2024 marked the 11th consecutive month where the global average monthly temperature reached a new record, according to the European Union’s agency Copernicus Climate Change Service. The period from May 2023 to April 2024 was the warmest 12-month span on record, about 1.61 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial (1850-1900) average.
However, the warming over India is less pronounced than the global average. Annual mean temperatures in India have risen by about 0.7 degrees Celsius since 1900, significantly lower than the 1.59 degrees Celsius increase in global land temperatures. Including oceans, global temperatures are currently at least 1.1 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial averages.