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Heat-humidity driven heatwave extremes over India: dry–moist heatwaves and their intraseasonal modulation
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DOI：10.1007/s00382-026-08339-1.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Heatwaves (HWs) pose an increasing threat by significantly impacting agriculture, public health, and the economy. Traditional HW assessments based solely on maximum temperature (Tmax) overlook the combined influence of temperature and humidity on human thermal stress. This study employs the Heat Index (HI), which integrates Tmax and relative humidity (RH), to identify and classify HW and severe heatwave (SHW) events across India from 1981 to 2023, focusing on the pre-monsoon (March–May) and early monsoon (June–August) seasons. Using Steadman’s approach, we further distinguish dry heatwaves (DHWs) and moist heatwaves (MHWs) based on the Tmax–RH relationship. The analysis reveals prominent DHWs and MHWs hotspots across western, northwestern, coastal, central, and Indo-Gangetic Plain regions. BSISO-related convection and circulation anomalies modulate HW types, with dry phases (positive OLR) favoring DHWs and wet phases (negative OLR) promoting MHWs through enhanced convection and moisture transport. Trend dynamics indicate that Tmax predominantly drives HWs during March–June, while RH amplifies SHWs during July–August. On average, India experiences 9–12 HWs and 1–2 SHWs annually, with frequency peaking in June. HW durations reach 75–90 days in arid regions and exceed 25 days along eastern coastal regions, both showing increasing trends. Intensity values range from 55 to 64 °C, with rising trends over Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, and declines along the eastern coast. The findings underscore the urgent need for region-specific mitigation strategies, including heat action plans, early warning systems, and public health preparedness, to reduce the escalating impacts of HW and SHW events across India.
Keywords:
Heatwaves
Heat index
Dry heatwaves
Moist heatwaves
Spatio-temporal analysis
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