Further, the study analysed that 70 per cent of districts have seen more than five additional very warm nights per summer over the past decade (2012-2022) compared to the climatic baseline (1982-2011).Very warm nights are defined as nights when the temperature stays unusually high, warmer than what used to be normal 95 per cent of the time. Warmer nights make it harder for the human body to cool down and recover from daytime heat.The study also finds increased relative humidity by up to 10% across the Indo-Gangetic Plains over the last decade. Historically, North India experienced 30-40% humidity, which increased to 40-50%. It further underlines that traditionally drier cities such as Delhi, Chandigarh, Kanpur, Jaipur, and Varanasi now see higher humidity levels.Sweating is the primary cooling mechanism when body temperature exceeds 37°C, but high humidity hinders evaporation.“Heat stress is no longer a future threat—it’s a present reality,” said Dr Arunabh Ghose, CEO, CEEW. “We are entering an era of intense, prolonged heat, rising humidity, and dangerously warm nights,” he said.
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