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The Hindustan Times reports:
An unrelenting heat wave has killed more than 1,100 people across the country over a fortnight with southern neighbours Andhra Pradesh and Telangana bearing the brunt, as torrid temperatures melted roads in the national capital and have forced people indoors.
Authorities said on [May 26] most of the victims were construction workers, the elderly, or the homeless, as the weather office predicted the mercury will continue to soar this week with substantial relief expected only when the southwest monsoon hits the Indian mainland around May 31.
[...] The meteorological department issued "red box" warnings for Odisha, Jharkhand, and coastal Andhra Pradesh, signalling high chances of heatstroke, dehydration, and fatality with temperatures inching upwards of 45°C and conditions worsened by constant dry, sweltering winds.
[The state of] Odisha continued to reel, with [the town of] Titlagarh in Balangir district clocking the highest temperature of 47.6°C [117.7°F], while authorities said they received reports of 67 deaths in the past week.
[...] Experts warned [that] no let-up in the heat wave would lead to large-scale power outages in several parts of north India, bringing back memories of a horrific blackout in 2012 that affected nearly 600 million people.
In a separate story, Arne Winguth, Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Texas-Arlington led a study on future environmental conditions in central Texas in the year 2100.
The professor was interviewed by KERA TV:
Winguth's study predicts more cracks and potholes, even buckling and melting of roadways in extreme 125-degree heat.
"The 125° Fahrenheit is a prediction for the future that is predicted for the year 2100. That would be the extreme temperature--that is based on most recent climate assimilation from the National Center for Atmospheric research."
[Editor's Comment: Original Submission]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by bob_super on Thursday May 28 2015, @03:52PM
Question: why would your urine be dark yellow? My blood doesn't need more cleaning when I drink more because of heat. As I overdrink, I usually produce clear urine.
(Score: 3, Informative) by jcross on Thursday May 28 2015, @04:15PM
Because your body is prioritizing sending the water to your sweat glands over sending it to your kidneys, since the heat will kill you faster than a toxic bloodstream. Or another way to put it is that you lose so much of the water you're drinking to sweat that you never manage to get very hydrated.
(Score: 2) by tibman on Thursday May 28 2015, @04:33PM
jcross is spot on. Even after 15 liters of water you can't pee enough to fill a coffee cup : ) You sweat so much that your clothes become encrusted like some sort of smelly exoskeleton. I highly recommend the experience!
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(Score: 2, Interesting) by KGIII on Thursday May 28 2015, @05:47PM
I spent a couple of months in Morocco and, while outside, I would sweat so much that not only did what you describe happen but I would find that there was a layer of salt on the inside brim of my hat and on my socks. It was new to me but it turns out that others experienced this on a regular basis. I dislike the heat, there is a limit to how much clothing one can remove while still remaining socially acceptable in most areas.
I retired to Maine, quite north and to the west of the State. I have lived in the southern US before. My observation is that we are now getting weather similar to the NC and VA areas of the country much of the time now. It has steadily been moving to this point. I dare say that AGW is a problem and is real. I make no comments about the veracity of the conclusions drawn by climate scientists but I do say that I, personally, have observed a definite warming trend that has been noticeable for a number of years in my specific area and, while not always warmer, the weather has been altered a great deal since I first wintered in Maine, when I came here for school. in my youth.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
(Score: 5, Informative) by mrchew1982 on Thursday May 28 2015, @06:06PM
When you drink that much water you also have to be careful about hyponatremia, a.k.a. not enough salt in your system. Most western diets have an overabundance of salt, not so sure about Indian diets.
I first learned about this when my dad worked in a mine in southern Utah. They had areas that were around 120°, they provided "salt pills" to take with their water. He had to stop each hour out to dump the sweat out of his wader boots. Luckily they had showers and laundry on site, so we never had to see that aspect, but the salt pills were interesting. They weren't just straight NaCl, I would imagine that it was pretty much gatorade minus the sugar- in pill form.
Which brings up another awesome thing that *everyone* should know about, WHO oral rehydration solution:
Ingredients:
- 3/8 tsp salt (sodium chloride)
- ¼ tsp Morton® Salt Substitute® (potassium chloride)
- ½ tsp baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp sugar (sucrose)
- Add tap water to make one (1) liter
there are regional adaptations to locally available ingredients, but that stuff is magic for people suffering from dehydration due to vomiting, diarrhea, or heat exhaustion...
(Score: 3, Funny) by LoRdTAW on Thursday May 28 2015, @10:25PM
It's got what plants crave! It's got electrolytes!