Dozens die as heat wave bakes India

[marmar]

Dozens die as heat wave bakes India
Matthias Williams

NEW DELHI

Thu May 27, 2010 9:04am EDT


NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Temperatures close to 50 degrees Celsius gripped large swathes of India, killing dozens of people as the country waits for the annual monsoon rains to reach the mainland, media and officials said on Thursday.

The hottest place in India, at 49.3 degrees (121 Fahrenheit), was Sri Ganganagar in the northern desert state of Rajasthan, with severe heat also prevailing in the adjacent states of Punjab and Haryana.

The federal health ministry does not regularly publish aggregated statistics of heat-related death tolls across states. CNN-IBN news channel on Thursday put the number at 134.

Streets were deserted this week as residents stayed indoors to escape the heat. But power cuts stopped ceiling fans, air conditioning and fridges, sparking protests in eastern regions.

"(The heat wave) is likely to subside in the next three to four days," B.P. Yadav, the spokesman for the India Meteorological Department (IMD), told Reuters. "The immediate cause appears to be the lack of thunderstorm activity."

Monsoon rains, which irrigate 60 percent of India's farms, are forecast to hit the mainland at the weekend, but have not advanced for the past six days, their progress slowed by last week's cyclone Laila. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64Q3AI20100527

[SpiralHawk]

1. 121 Fahrenheit. Holy Shit. Explain that away, Rush DraftDodger Limbaugh (R)

I suppose he'll be on again today, after having cashed his fat corporate payola check, to tell us 121 Fahrenheit and the corporate oil fiasco (R) in the Gulf are all perfectly natural.

Who the hell could possibly believe this DraftDodging Corporate Republicon Propaganda Pimp?

Sheesh.

[Rebubula]

2. Please....

...one area with insane temps does not prove AGW neither does a cold spell in May mean that it is NOT warming.

This temperature in this part of India is NOT abnormal though it is on the high end. It has been recorded that high for decades.