{"id":53875,"date":"2025-07-08T10:00:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T04:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=53875"},"modified":"2025-07-08T10:59:49","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T05:29:49","slug":"kashmirs-unprecedented-heatwave-causes-and-climate-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/kashmirs-unprecedented-heatwave-causes-and-climate-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"Kashmir\u2019s Unprecedented Heatwave: Causes and Climate Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Kashmir Heatwave Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On July 5, the Kashmir Valley recorded its highest day temperature in over 70 years, with Pahalgam experiencing its hottest day ever. This follows the valley&#8217;s hottest June in nearly 50 years.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Understanding Kashmir\u2019s Climate: A Balance of Seasons and Natural Cooling<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Kashmir Valley experiences a temperate climate characterized by four well-defined seasons\u2014spring, summer, autumn, and winter.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are generally pleasant and marked by moderate temperatures, making them ideal for tourism and agriculture.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Winter (December to February) is harsh, with temperatures often plunging below freezing, especially in higher altitudes.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Snowfall is common\u2014heavy in the mountains and moderate in the plains.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Summers (June to August), in contrast to many parts of India, are relatively mild.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The region benefits from <\/span><b>frequent western disturbances<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> during this season, which bring intermittent rainfall that naturally cools the atmosphere.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the recent surge in summer temperatures marks a notable deviation from these long-standing climatic norms.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Rising Heat and Erratic Weather Disrupt Kashmir\u2019s Climate Norms<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In recent years, Kashmir has witnessed a noticeable shift in its climate, marked by rising temperatures and prolonged dry spells.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The region recorded its hottest June in nearly five decades, with temperatures averaging about 3\u00b0C above normal.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On July 5, Srinagar reached 37.4\u00b0C\u2014the highest in over 70 years and the third-highest ever recorded.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These trends signal a clear departure from the Valley\u2019s traditionally moderate summer climate.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Consistent Heat, Not Just Isolated Spikes, Raises Concern in Kashmir<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike past years where high temperatures were rare and short-lived, 2024 has seen <\/span><b>persistently elevated maximum and minimum temperatures<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This consistency in above-normal readings suggests a deeper climatic shift rather than an isolated weather anomaly, making the situation more worrisome for the region\u2019s environmental stability and public health.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Factors Behind Kashmir\u2019s Rising Temperatures<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The rise in Kashmir\u2019s temperatures is the result of multiple interlinked factors.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Global warming<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the overarching cause, raising baseline temperatures globally.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Traditionally, when Kashmir\u2019s temperature crossed 35\u00b0C, rainfall would follow, offering natural relief. However, this pattern is now disrupted due to extended dry spells.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experts attributed this to a reduction in water vapour, caused by declining snowfall in the mountains.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The little snow that does fall melts by March, leaving the mountains bare and reducing natural cooling.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, Urban Heat Islands (UHIs)\u2014areas where urbanisation traps heat\u2014are further intensifying temperatures in cities like Srinagar.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Urban Heat Islands: How Cities Like Srinagar Are Getting Hotter<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) are urban zones that are significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Kashmir, rapid <\/span><b>urbanisation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>concretisation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and the <\/span><b>loss of vegetation and water bodies<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have intensified the UHI effect\u2014especially in cities like Srinagar.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These hard, heat-retaining surfaces absorb and radiate more heat, while limited green spaces offer little natural cooling.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Added to this are <\/span><b>vehicular emissions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>industrial activities<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which further elevate temperatures, making urban areas markedly hotter than their rural counterparts.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-climate\/what-is-behind-the-record-breaking-heat-in-kashmir-10110398\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IE<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0| <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndtv.com\/india-news\/explained-whats-contributing-to-record-breaking-heat-in-kashmir-8839866\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NDTV<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kashmir faces record heat due to climate change, dry spells, and urbanisation. Explore the causes, impacts, and urgent need for sustainable solutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":53897,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[1391,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-53875","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-kashmir-heatwave","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}