Kashmir Breaks Its 25-Year-Old Record, Registers Highest July Temperature Amid Sweltering Heat

Kashmir has been witnessing unusually warm temperatures with several places in the valley recording their highest July temperature in 25 years on Sunday. As per the meteorological office, Srinagar city touched a high of 36.2 degrees Celsius on Sunday. This was the hottest July day since July 9, 1999 when the mercury had settled at 37 degrees Celsius.

However, the hottest July day in Srinagar was recorded on July 10, 1946 with mercury rising to 38.3 degrees Celsius. Qazigund and Kokernag towns in south Kashmir also recorded their hottest July day on Sunday.

Qazigund noted a maximum temperature of 35.6 degrees Celsius, beating the previous high of 34.5 degrees Celsius recorded on July 11, 1988.

In Kokernag, the mercury rose to 34.1 degrees Celsius, against the previous or 33.3 degrees Celsius recorded on July 3 this year. The mercury in this south Kashmir town had touched 33 degrees only once earlier on July 8, 1993.

The Met has forecast spell of rain at isolated places of Kashmir valley over the years next 24 hours, which is expected to bring down the mercury.

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With the heatwave breaking records, the world just experienced its hottest day on July 21. According to preliminary data from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, the global average surface air temperature on July 21 reached 17.09 degrees Celsius (62.76 degrees Fahrenheit) slightly higher than the previous record of 17.08 C (62.74 F) set in last July.

Heatwaves have scorched large swathes of the United States, Europe and Russia over the past week. Earlier on May 15, 2024, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) declared April 2024 as the hottest month to date. The WMO also noted that sea-surface temperatures have reached record highs for the past 13 months, and extreme weather events during this time have led to numerous deaths and socioeconomic disturbances.

Last year saw four days in a row break the record, from July 3 through July 6, as climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, drove extreme heat across the Northern Hemisphere.

Every month since June 2023 - 13 months in a row - has now ranked as the planet's hottest since records began, compared with the corresponding month in previous years, Copernicus said.

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Some scientists have suggested 2024 could outrank 2023 as the hottest year since records began, as climate change and the El Nino natural weather phenomenon which ended in April, have pushed temperatures ever higher this year.

(With Agency Inputs)