Dr Raju Attada, a professor and the principal investigator of the weather and climate modeling lab at IISER Mohali, explained, “In India, cold waves have emerged as one of the deadliest extreme weather phenomena during the winter season. Our study identified a total of 509 cold wave days, including 45 days of severe cold wave conditions from 1982 to 2020. Notably, between 2010 and 2018, there was a shocking 506% increase in the number of cold waves in India, despite global warming.”Attada further elaborated on the causes of these prolonged and intensified cold wave conditions, saying, “Some cold wave conditions, such as the current winter, persist longer due to atmospheric blocking conditions. These atmospheric blocks allow extremely cold air from northern latitudes to invade north India, exacerbating cold waves. Additionally, upper air weather systems over North India contribute to the subsidence of cold air, further intensifying cold waves and cold day conditions.”The study underscores the severe consequences of cold waves on both human and animal populations. The risk of hypothermia and frostbite escalates during these extreme weather events, with significant impacts on human health, energy consumption, agriculture, and transportation in northern India. Attada said, “In 2003, a cold wave lasting 18 days in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, UP, parts of MP, and Uttarakhand resulted in the deaths of 1003 people.Cold wave impactThe study underscores the severe consequences of cold waves on both human and animal populations. The risk of hypothermia and frostbite escalates during these extreme weather events, with significant impacts on human health, energy consumption, agriculture, and transportation in northern India. The study identified a total of 509 cold wave days, including 45 days of severe cold wave conditions from 1982 to 2020
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