Tuesday, July 1News That Matters

Tag: Heatwaves

Heat Rising, Warnings Failing: Why Early Action Is Crucial to Combat Global Heatwaves

Heat Rising, Warnings Failing: Why Early Action Is Crucial to Combat Global Heatwaves

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
As scorching temperatures shatter records with alarming frequency, a new era of climate danger is unfolding across the globe. From the U.S. to South Asia, heatwaves are no longer rare occurrences they're becoming the new normal. Today, on Heat Action Day, as communities around the world raise awareness of the dangers of extreme heat, it is clear that awareness alone is not enough. Action must follow swiftly, inclusively, and equitably. Across every continent, extreme heat is quietly claiming lives and overwhelming systems. It spares no part of daily life: hospitals overflow, energy grids collapse, outdoor labor becomes perilous, and students struggle to learn inside sweltering classrooms. In Nepal’s rural Madesh region, a recent study by Mercy Corps lays bare the educational conseque...
From Searing to Surreal: India’s Summer Ends Before It Began Amid Weather Whiplash

From Searing to Surreal: India’s Summer Ends Before It Began Amid Weather Whiplash

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
In a stunning contrast to the brutal summer of 2024, India in 2025 is experiencing an unprecedented early end to summer, upending expectations and raising fresh concerns about growing climate volatility. Last year, May and June were defined by relentless heatwaves, pushing thermometers to historic highs and placing immense stress on agriculture, power grids, and public health. The scorching summer of 2024, ultimately labeled the hottest year on record, had become emblematic of the global climate crisis. But in a dramatic reversal May 2025 has unfolded with unseasonably cool temperatures, widespread cloud cover, and scattered rainstorms offering rare relief from what is normally the year's harshest season. The shift has left meteorologists, farmers, and citizens both relieved and perp...
Rethinking Disaster Preparedness: Why Behavioural Insights Matter

Rethinking Disaster Preparedness: Why Behavioural Insights Matter

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check
When disaster strikes, having early warnings and strong infrastructure saves lives. But often, even when people know the risks, they don’t act. Why? The answer lies in human behaviour. In March 2025, Myanmar was hit by a massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake. Survivors like Ma Phyu Sin Win were grateful for emergency kits basic things like food, solar lamps, and hygiene products. “Every little item helps during this time,” she said. But the damage went far beyond broken buildings. Around 1.6 million structures were exposed to intense shaking, many not built to survive it. Disasters like this are becoming more frequent and more destructive. In 2024 alone, extreme weather caused $320 billion in economic losses. But the real damage continues long after the floodwaters recede or the ground st...
Early Monsoon Hits Kerala, Triggers Torrential Rains and Heatwaves Across India

Early Monsoon Hits Kerala, Triggers Torrential Rains and Heatwaves Across India

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
The Southwest Monsoon arrived early over Kerala on May 24, unsettling India’s seasonal weather balance with simultaneous floods and heatwaves across various regions. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed that this early onset nearly a week ahead of the typical June 1 schedule will usher in prolonged rainfall along the western coast while much of northern India remains trapped in oppressive heat. Torrential Rain Forecast Along the Western Coast With the monsoon now active, heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected to drench Kerala, Karnataka, coastal Maharashtra, and Goa over the coming week. The IMD has warned of extremely heavy downpours in isolated areas, especially during the weekends. This surge in rainfall is attributed to a depression currently brewing over the Eas...
India Braces for Weather Extremes: Heatwaves in the Northwest Heavy Rains in the South and East

India Braces for Weather Extremes: Heatwaves in the Northwest Heavy Rains in the South and East

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters
As the pre-monsoon season intensifies, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a mix of extreme weather events across the country. From severe heatwaves in Rajasthan and Haryana to torrential rains in the southern and northeastern states, the week ahead will test both infrastructure and resilience. Northwest India Swelters Under Heat and Dust Storms The IMD has warned that intense heatwave conditions will persist in parts of west Rajasthan from May 19 to 24, with east Rajasthan joining the heat spell until May 22. Haryana is also expected to sizzle between May 19 and 21. Adding to the discomfort, hot and humid weather will dominate Odisha on May 19 and 20, while unusually warm nights will prevail in isolated pockets of Haryana and Rajasthan. Meanwhile, dust storms w...
Born in the Heat: How Climate Change Is Putting Pregnant Women and Babies at Risk

Born in the Heat: How Climate Change Is Putting Pregnant Women and Babies at Risk

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check
As climate change continues to drive extreme weather events around the globe, pregnant women are emerging as one of the most vulnerable populations. A groundbreaking new report from US-based research group Climate Central paints a disturbing picture: global warming is drastically increasing the number of “pregnancy heat-risk days” days when dangerously high temperatures threaten maternal and fetal health. The consequences are already being felt in hundreds of countries, especially in the Global South, where access to healthcare is limited. Heatwaves and Pregnancy: A Global Health Crisis Between 2020 and 2024, the number of high-heat exposure days for pregnant women more than doubled in 222 of the 247 countries and territories analyzed by Climate Central. These pregnancy heat-risk days ...
India Weather Alert: IMD Warns of Heavy Rainfall in Northeast and Heatwaves in Large Parts of Country

India Weather Alert: IMD Warns of Heavy Rainfall in Northeast and Heatwaves in Large Parts of Country

Breaking News, Climate Actions
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a nationwide alert as extreme weather patterns continue to grip different regions of the country. While the Northeast braces for intense rainfall, large parts of central, eastern, western, and southern India are expected to experience heatwave conditions through the week. Extremely Heavy Rainfall in Meghalaya on May 13 The IMD has forecast extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over Meghalaya on May 13, 2025. The Northeast will continue to receive fairly widespread to widespread light to moderate rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 30–40 kmph, occasionally gusting up to 50 kmph, over the next five days. Heavy Showers for Sub-Himalayan Regions and Nicobar Islands The eastern Himalayan foothills wi...
Wealthiest 10% Cause Two-Thirds of Global Warming Since 1990: Study Links Climate Crisis to Income Inequality

Wealthiest 10% Cause Two-Thirds of Global Warming Since 1990: Study Links Climate Crisis to Income Inequality

Breaking News, Climate Actions
Global warming refers to the long-term rise in Earth's average surface temperature due to increased concentrations of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) in the atmosphere. These gases trap heat, mainly released from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas, along with emissions from deforestation, industrial processes, and high-consumption lifestyles. A new study published in Nature Climate Change sheds light on who is most responsible for this climate disruption and the answer points directly to the world’s wealthiest individuals. According to researchers the richest 10% of people globally are responsible for nearly two-thirds of global warming since 1990, with the top 1% alone causing 26 times more heatwave-related climate extr...
April alarming heat signals accelerating global warming

April alarming heat signals accelerating global warming

Breaking News, Climate Actions
April 2025 was the second-hottest April ever recorded, with average global surface air temperatures reaching 14.96°C—0.60°C higher than the 1991–2020 average, and just 0.07°C below the record set in April 2024. The data, released by Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, provides another stark reminder of the intensifying climate crisis. Global temperatures 1.51°C above pre-industrial levels Last month’s global temperatures were 1.51°C warmer than pre-industrial levels (1850–1900), underscoring the continued warming trend driven by greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels. This warming surpasses the 1.5°C threshold set as a critical limit in the Paris Agreement, which aims to avoid the most severe consequences of climate change. H...
Scorching Heat to Stormy Rains: India’s Weather Turns Extreme

Scorching Heat to Stormy Rains: India’s Weather Turns Extreme

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
India is currently witnessing a dramatic clash of weather patterns intense heatwaves in northern states and heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and hailstorms in parts of the east and south. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) while regions like Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan continue to sizzle, areas such as Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and the Northeast are battling heavy rains and hail. This complex weather situation is a result of a weak western disturbance, cyclonic circulations, and changing temperature gradients across the country. From the hilly terrains of North India to the vast plains, temperatures have soared, intensifying the heatwave gripping the region. However some relief might be in sight due to a weak western disturbance which could lead ...