India weather: From mountains to plains, scorching heat in May broke 36 years of record

Record breaking heat in April

The average maximum temperature for the month of April across India this year was 35.6 degrees Celsius. This is higher than the temperatures seen in the election years of 2004 (35 degrees Celsius), 2009 (35.5 degrees Celsius) and 2014 (35.3 degrees Celsius), but slightly lower than the record of 35.7 degrees Celsius recorded in 2019.

After 36 years, such intense heat in May

The average maximum temperature in May this year was 37.3 degrees Celsius, the highest since May 1988, when the average maximum temperature was 37.4 degrees Celsius. According to weather department data, several stations broke previous records in May. On May 31, Alwar recorded a temperature of 46.5 degrees Celsius, the fourth highest temperature there. On the same day, Bilaspur recorded a temperature of 46.8 degrees Celsius, the fifth highest temperature there in May. Bulandshahr recorded a temperature of 46 degrees Celsius, the second highest temperature there in May.

Even the hill station Dehradun recently recorded a temperature of 43.2 degrees Celsius, which is the third highest temperature ever recorded in May. The areas of South India experienced extreme heat from the beginning. But later, unbearable heat started being felt in North India.

What is the reason for so much heat in May?

Director General of the Meteorological Department Mrityunjay Mahapatra said, 'During the beginning of summer (March to April), the temperature remains high in areas like Maharashtra, Gujarat and southern peninsular areas because during that time the sun is directly above these areas, which causes strong sunlight. This situation changes when the sun moves north. ' He said that in the later days (May to June) the sun is almost directly above northern India, which causes a lot of heat in these areas. The IMD had already predicted that the day temperature will be above normal in most parts of the country.

Voting was low due to extreme heat

Political analyst Vivek Singh Baghri says that this time, a major factor affecting the voting percentage is high temperature, due to which voting is low. Along with the common voters, the upper-middle class voters also avoid voting during extreme heat or cold. In many parts of the country, the temperature was recorded above 40-45 degrees Celsius in April as well as May. However, there may be other reasons behind the low voting.