India is currently experiencing a prolonged heat wave with temperatures exceeding 42°C (108°F) in many cities in the country. This comes just weeks after the Indian Meteorological Department declared March the warmest March on record for more than 120 years.
The image above, produced using data from the Copernicus Sentinel 3 mission, shows surface temperatures across much of India.
This image was taken on April 29 at 10:30 local time in India. Due to the absence of cloud cover, the Sentinel-3 spacecraft was able to obtain accurate ground temperature measurements, with temperatures exceeding 60°C (140°F) in several areas ).
The data showed that surface temperatures in Jaipur and Ahmedabad reached 47°C (117°F), while the hottest temperatures recorded were southeast and southwest of Ahmedabad (visible in dark red). ), with a maximum surface temperature of about 65°C (149°F).
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, on April 28, 2022, the maximum temperature reached 43-46°C (109-115°F) in Rajasthan, Vidaba, Madhya Pradesh and most of eastern Uttar Pradesh; Gujarat, Many places in the interior of Odisha; and some parts of Maharashtra. Weather forecasters have warned that heatwave conditions are expected to continue through May 2.
The number of Indian states hit by heatwaves has increased in recent years as extreme temperatures have become more frequent, experts from the Indian Institute of Technology‘s Water and Climate Laboratory said.