NEW DELHI: The capital this year suffered its most torrid peak summer months of May and June in at least 74 years. Both the month of June and the May-June period this year were the hottest in terms of maximum temperatures in records at Safdarjung station since 1951, which were analysed by TOI.
The average maximum temperature in June was nearly 42°C (41.95), surpassing the previous highest of 41.9°C recorded in 2012. This was only the eighth time since 1951 that the mean maximum temperature in June had stayed above 41°C.
And, in line with projections that global warming was causing more extreme weather , three of the four highest June temperatures were seen in the last 13 years.
Unbearable! This May was seventh hottest since 1951
While several heat records were surpassed in Delhi in June, what made this summer that much more unbearable was the extremely long spell of high heat. The average maximum temperature this year in the May-June period, corresponding with peak summer in the city, was as much as 0.5 degree C higher than the previous hottest corresponding period recorded in 2012. This year's average maximum was 41.7 degrees C as compared with 41.2 degrees C in 2012.
To put these temperatures in perspective, the mean maximum temperature in May-June has touched (or crossed) the 41-degree mark only four times in the last 74 years at Safdarjung. The other two years being 1995 and 2010.
May 2024 itself was the seventh hottest since 1951 with an average maximum of 41.4 degrees C. This was the first time during the analysed period that the average maximum in both May and June was above 41 degrees C. The period saw a 40-day spell of consecutive 40-degrees-plus daily temperatures, an unprecedented event. There were as many as nine heatwave days at Safdarjung in June and five in May, another number that hasn't been surpassed in recent times.
The extreme heat in the last two months meant that the entire summer in the capital - April-May-June - was the third hottest on record since 1951. The three-month average this year was 40.1 degrees C, surpassed only by 2010 (40.8) and 2022 (40.2). These are the only years when the April-June mean maximum has crossed 40 degrees.
Heat wasn't the only type of extreme weather suffered by Delhiites this season. The torrential rain on Friday morning (June 28) was a 28-year high for a single day and highest in 88 years for the month of June.
At least 187 people in Delhi have lost their lives to extreme weather this season, with TOI recording a minimum of 176 heat-related deaths.
The average maximum temperature in June was nearly 42°C (41.95), surpassing the previous highest of 41.9°C recorded in 2012. This was only the eighth time since 1951 that the mean maximum temperature in June had stayed above 41°C.
And, in line with projections that global warming was causing more extreme weather , three of the four highest June temperatures were seen in the last 13 years.
Unbearable! This May was seventh hottest since 1951
While several heat records were surpassed in Delhi in June, what made this summer that much more unbearable was the extremely long spell of high heat. The average maximum temperature this year in the May-June period, corresponding with peak summer in the city, was as much as 0.5 degree C higher than the previous hottest corresponding period recorded in 2012. This year's average maximum was 41.7 degrees C as compared with 41.2 degrees C in 2012.
To put these temperatures in perspective, the mean maximum temperature in May-June has touched (or crossed) the 41-degree mark only four times in the last 74 years at Safdarjung. The other two years being 1995 and 2010.
May 2024 itself was the seventh hottest since 1951 with an average maximum of 41.4 degrees C. This was the first time during the analysed period that the average maximum in both May and June was above 41 degrees C. The period saw a 40-day spell of consecutive 40-degrees-plus daily temperatures, an unprecedented event. There were as many as nine heatwave days at Safdarjung in June and five in May, another number that hasn't been surpassed in recent times.
The extreme heat in the last two months meant that the entire summer in the capital - April-May-June - was the third hottest on record since 1951. The three-month average this year was 40.1 degrees C, surpassed only by 2010 (40.8) and 2022 (40.2). These are the only years when the April-June mean maximum has crossed 40 degrees.
Heat wasn't the only type of extreme weather suffered by Delhiites this season. The torrential rain on Friday morning (June 28) was a 28-year high for a single day and highest in 88 years for the month of June.
At least 187 people in Delhi have lost their lives to extreme weather this season, with TOI recording a minimum of 176 heat-related deaths.
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