Investigating the Trend and Pattern of Heat Waves in North-Western Rajasthan (2012–2023), In the Context of Climate Variability

Extreme heat and heat waves are estimated to increase in frequency and severity across the globe in the future and are established as disasters with the potential increase in heat stress and loss of life. Studies have shown that India has high exposure to heat waves without adequate adaptive capacity. The impact of any disaster depends upon the vulnerability of the population. This study aims to understand the temporal-spatial variation in heat waves in North-Western districts of Rajasthan from 2013–2022. Past ten years are taken into study to see decadal change and variation over time. For the spatial-temporal study, daily maximum data of pre-monsoon season (March-May) and monsoon season (June-Sept.) is used. The data is taken from the Nasa data access viewer for each district. Data is analysed by statistical methods and GIS tools and techniques are used to represent the data. The results have shown that the frequency of warm days has increased and an increase in warm days in the pre-monsoon season. The months of March and April have seen an increase in maximum temperature. The findings suggest that there is an overall increase in the monthly average maximum temperature for every month.