Heat Waves Continues In South Asia
Editor
May 13, 2022
Nearly one in eight people on Earth are enduring a relentless, lethal heat wave that is stretching into its third week.
Triple-digit temperatures are continuing to bake swaths of India and Pakistan, a region home to 1.5 billion people. Extreme heat has also scorched Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in recent weeks.
For India, this past April was the hottest in 122 years and followed the hottest March on record. For Pakistan, it was the warmest month of April after 61 years, Jacobabad, Pakistan, already one of the hottest cities in the world, saw temperatures rise above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Nighttime temperatures are staying in the 90s. And more heat is in store for the coming days.
The sweltering weather has reportedly killed at least 25 people in India and 65 people in Pakistan. Though the true number of casualties is likely much higher.
And South Asia’s heat wave is poised to radiate into other countries. The high temperatures are threatening wheat production in the region. Which could push already rising food prices even higher around the world.
FAQs