Delhi logs 55.6% rain deficit in June as heatwave persists, monsoon delayed

Delhi’s rainfall deficit was at over 50% in June, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. The city recorded its second consecutive heatwave day on Monday, with the maximum temperature touching 42.4°C. Scattered showers and strong winds, however, brought brief relief to parts of the city towards the end of the day, HT reported. 

Overall nationwide rainfall deficit was at 43% in June which is likely to reduce to 10% in July when monsoon covers the entire country, TOI reported.  

Delhi’s heatwave conditions (city breached 42°C on Monday) caused power demand to reach an all-time high of 8,748 MW on Monday, NDTV reported citing official data, adding that the previous highest peak power demand was recorded at 8,656 MW on June 19, 2024, “shattering previous record by 100MW”, power minister Ashish Sood said.

The outlet added that demand is expected to cross 9,000 MW this summer.

“There was no respite from the heat stress during the night as the minimum temperature settled at 31.1 degrees Celsius, three degrees above normal, and the same as Sunday. It was the hottest June night in two years for two consecutive days,” reported TOI. 

Down to Earth reported that “Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar are struggling with soaring temperatures and humidity” adding that the IMD warned that heatwave conditions may continue over parts of Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. The outlet explained that exposure to high temperatures poses serious health risks, particularly for children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing medical conditions. Authorities have advised people to remain indoors during peak afternoon hours, stay hydrated, and avoid unnecessary travel under direct sunlight.

Heavy rainfall batters northeast and coastal states

India’s northeastern states are under vigorous monsoon activity, reported DTE, adding that Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall, prompting the IMD to issue Orange Alerts for several districts.

Extremely heavy rainfall was predicted for the hilly regions of West Bengal and parts of Sikkim, where a Red Alert has been issued due to the possibility of rainfall exceeding 204.5 millimetres within 24 hours. The outlet warned :”Such intense precipitation could trigger flash floods, landslides, waterlogging, and disruptions to transport services.”

Kerala, Mahe, Konkan-Goa, coastal Karnataka, Odisha, parts of Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, and Tamil Nadu are also expected to receive heavy rainfall under Yellow Alert conditions, the report said.

Thunderstorms. lightning and gusty winds of 40 to 50 kmph are likely across Punjab, eastern Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

Similar weather conditions have been forecast over Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu. The IMD has urged people to avoid open spaces during thunderstorms, refrain from taking shelter under isolated trees, and follow local weather advisories.

Fishermen have also been advised not to venture into the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal due to rough sea conditions and strong winds. Those already at sea have been asked to return to the coast at the earliest, the outlet reported. 

1,300 people die in Europe's heatwave, Germany hits record 41.7°C

Over 1,300 excess deaths have been linked to Europe’s “unprecedented early summer heatwave”  BBC News reported. Quoting the World Health Organization chief, the report said: “On Sunday morning, France’s national health ministry said there had been around 1,000 more deaths than expected in the country since Wednesday.” It says that temperature records were “broken across the continent again on Sunday – including in Germany, Poland and Czechia – as the extreme heat continued to move east”. 

Parents were booking air-conditioned hotels to keep babies safe in the UK heatwave, the Guardian reported. 

The heatwave began in the Iberian peninsula, the outlet said, adding that Switzerland broke the record for its hottest-ever June day for the third day in a row on Saturday, with the mercury rising to 39°C in the northern city of Basel.  EuroNews reported that in Portugal, temperatures will reach 43C by this weekend.

The Czech Republic recorded its highest-ever temperature on Saturday, with a reading of 40.8°C. Germany

Deutsche Welle said the German heat record was broken for the third day in a row, hitting 41.7°C. Reuters quoted scientists saying that the heatwave, which began on June 20, was the worst recorded in Europe, and the blistering conditions have disrupted power generation, damaged infrastructure and overwhelmed healthcare systems. The New York Times said Europe’s “trains, nuclear plants and factories can’t take the heat either”. Agence France-Presse says Swiss glaciers are “facing drastic loss from the heatwave”. The Guardian reported that a “fourth toddler died in France” amid the heat.

Soil heat extremes are increasing faster than air heat extremes, according to data taken at sites across the world

Scientists have found that soil heat extremes increase faster than air heat extremes across a majority of sites, with spatially averaged trends showing that the annual maximum 7-day mean temperature increases by 0.78 C decade in soils compared to 0.56 C decade in air, while the frequency of hot days above the 90th percentile (TX90p) rises by 9.33% decade in soils versus 1.27% decade in air, Study published by IOP Science reported. 

Particularly strong amplification is present in temperate continental climates and dry sub-humid regimes, consistent with reduced evaporative cooling under recurrent soil drying. 

Coarse-textured soils and croplands show the largest differences between air and soil extremes, while forests dampen peak soil heat intensity but still exhibit rising extreme frequency and duration. The emerging divergence between soil and atmospheric heat extremes has important implications for land-atmosphere coupling, soil carbon losses, agricultural risk and therefore food security, highlighting the need to integrate soil heat extremes into climate impact and adaptation assessments.