India Records Warmest May Night in 14 Years Amid Heatwave Warnings

Delhi recorded its warmest May night in almost 14 years this week, with the minimum temperature reaching 32.4C, 5.7 degrees above normal. Daytime highs have repeatedly crossed 45C across northern India in the past two weeks, and Banda in Uttar Pradesh reached 48.2C last Tuesday.

At least 16 people have died from heatstroke in Telangana so far this summer. The India Meteorological Department has issued active heatwave warnings for Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Telangana, with a yellow alert for Delhi in place until 27 May.

Thunderstorms are forecast for the end of the week. The heat is driven by north-westerly winds from the desert regions of Rajasthan and neighbouring Pakistan, according to meteorologists.

Sumit Ray, medical director at Holy Family Hospital in Delhi, said his hospital is receiving more patients with heat exhaustion and heat-related gastroenteritis. He noted that constant dehydration and muscle breakdown in heat can lead to chronic kidney disease.

Dr Ray added that the advisory to stop outdoor work between noon and 4pm may need adjustment because evenings are not cooling. He said workers often have no access to cooled spaces even during mandated breaks.

India’s average nighttime temperatures have risen 0.21 degrees Celsius per decade, and 35 of 36 states and union territories show rising nighttime readings, according to the Council on Energy, Environment and Water. Nearly 70 per cent of districts experienced five additional very warm nights per summer over the last decade.

Average relative humidity across India increased from 67.1 per cent in 2015-2019 to 71.2 per cent in 2020-2024. Delhi recorded an 8-percentage-point rise, the largest among states. The number of compound hot-humid days rose from 14,086 to 16,970 over the same periods.

Electricity demand reached an all-time high above 270 gigawatts, prompting a government call for consumers to limit use. Parts of Chennai experienced nighttime power cuts lasting 40 minutes to an hour. Dr Ajay Mathur of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi said solar power prevented shortfalls on the recent peak day.

He called for institutional measures matching the scale of rising demand. Mahesh Palawat, vice-president of meteorology and climate change at Skymet Weather, said respite would arrive with a western disturbance altering wind patterns.