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Because of the highest average temperatures in May since 1900, April and May 2010 were used as comparisons.
In recent weeks, the heat has caused schools to close in India and Pakistan, and damaged crops. It also put pressure on energy supplies, and residents were kept indoors. Experts even began to question the suitability of such heat for human survival.
Jacobabad, Pakistan’s Sindh province’s hottest city, reached 51 degrees Celsius (123.8F) Sunday. It was 50C (122F) the previous day. The temperatures in Delhi, India’s capital, reached 49C (120F) Sunday.
The analysis also projected that heatwaves would occur more frequently in the region, with one occurring every 1.15 years by 2025.
“Spells with heat have always been a part of the region’s pre-monsoon weather in April and May. Our study however shows that climate change is making record-breaking heat spells 100 times more likely,” said Nikos Christidis from the Met Office, who conducted the analysis. “By the middle of the century, increasing climate change is likely will drive temperatures of this level on average every year.”
India and Pakistan are particularly vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis, especially in terms of extreme heat.
According to scientists, a new temperature record was most likely to have been set in the region during the recent heatwave.
According to Paul Hutcheon of the Met Office’s Global Guidance Unit, temperatures in the subcontinent have been slightly cooling in recent days but the relief is likely to last for a short time.
“The heat looks likely to build again from mid-week, peaking later in the week or into the weekend, with maximum temperatures again likely to reach 50°C in some spots, with continued very high overnight temperatures,” he said on the Met Office’s website.
“The weekend temperatures will likely drop again to the average. There is also an increased risk of fires in the region, mostly from planned agricultural burning. This could further exacerbate the poor air quality. Strong winds may lift dust plumes occasionally too.
CNN’s Helen Regan (Rhea Mogul), Sophia Saifi, Asim Khan, Esha Mitra, and Sophia Saifi contributed to this report.
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