New Delhi: At 32.4 degrees Celsius, the national capital Wednesday recorded the hottest day of the year and the highest February temperature since 2023, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Moreover, Thursday morning, Delhi recorded the highest-ever minimum temperature in February since 1951 at 19.5 degrees Celsius, marking another heat milestone so early in the year.

At the same time, Mumbai and some other places on the Konkan coast have received heatwave warnings.

On Tuesday, Mumbai saw temperatures reach 38.7 degrees Celsius—which is 5.9 degrees Celsius above normal. Parts of coastal Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Goa also recorded similar temperatures, bringing in the heatwave season just two months into the New Year.

In the IMD’s press release Thursday, it reported that Kannur in Kerala recorded the highest maximum temperature in the country at 40.4 degrees Celsius Monday, which was 4.4 degrees Celsius above normal.

Experts say that India’s winter season is shrinking, with rising temperatures pushing heatwaves earlier into the year. The trend of increasingly short winters and prolonged hot periods is becoming more evident worldwide, with climate change being a key factor. This is because climate change-induced global warming contributes to a greater number of stronger heat waves.

However, the reason for these early heatwaves in coastal Maharashtra and Konkan is also a lack of rainfall in the winter season, meteorological experts say.