Days when April month was under the spring season has gone, as India is on its peak on burning.
April’s scorching temperatures have been making headlines across India, with nearly every corner of the country experiencing heatwave conditions in the first 20 days of the month, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
El Niño Effect
Understanding the reasons behind this unprecedented heatwave sheds light on the complexity of India’s climate patterns. Firstly, 2024 began under the influence of El Niño, a weather phenomenon characterized by warmer surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Such conditions typically result in extreme temperatures and prolonged heatwaves, as well as a dearth of pre-monsoon rainfall, as explained by Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of the IMD.
Additionally, the persistent presence of anticyclone systems over southern peninsular and southeastern coastal areas has exacerbated the situation. These high-pressure systems push warm air downward, generating intense heat on the Earth’s surface. Moreover, they disrupt the flow of cooling sea breezes, further contributing to rising temperatures.
The impact of these factors has been felt most acutely in regions like Bihar, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
The extreme climate change is a reminder of the urgent need of adapting stategies of global warming and the exploitation of natural resources.