Record high temperatures in East and Northeast India in April

In the past month, the eastern and northeastern regions of India have experienced unprecedented heat, with both daytime and nighttime temperatures soaring to record levels, according to a scientist from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

According to the report of Telegraph India, O.P. Sreejith, the head of climate monitoring and prediction at IMD Pune, revealed that the April average minimum temperature in these areas reached 22.19 degrees Celsius, while the mean temperature hit 28.12 degrees Celsius, marking the highest levels since 1901 when regular temperature records began.

Sreejith further disclosed that the average maximum temperature for April stood at 34.05 degrees Celsius, the ninth highest in the last 124 years. The rise in temperatures has been significant, with minimum, mean, and maximum temperatures exceeding normal levels by 1.78, 2.01, and 2.25 degrees Celsius, respectively, in the eastern and northeastern regions.

K.J. Ramesh, former director-general of IMD, stated, "Climate change is consistently pushing up the mercury globally, while El Nino, in its fourth and last year of the current cycle, is adding to the warm quotient. For the last few days, the maximum temperature in several places of the east and northeast regions was recorded to be 40 degrees and above; and the night temperatures also did not slide as no cool air was available in the system. That, in turn, has also pushed up the mean temperature."