5 ms·

There are two cities in India that are pretty close by where this difference is very clear. Chennai is on the coast, while Bangalore is inland at a higher altit

There are two cities in India that are pretty close by where this difference is very clear. Chennai is on the coast, while Bangalore is inland at a higher altitude while they’re both pretty much the same latitude. The difference in perception even if the dry bulb temperature is the same is insane. In Bangalore I can always find shade and it’ll be cool instantly, but in Chennai my whole body is always soaking wet, my clothes are drenched with my own sweat and I still feel like always about to faint. I used to take long walks during the day when I lived in Bangalore (it has other man made problems like traffic which are still irritating) but here I Chennai I can’t walk or jog outside even if I wanted to. I step outside only to run to the car and turn the AC on.

twic 5y ago
It's striking to me that according to the map in figure 4, the parts of the Indian subcontinent most at risk are in the Indus and Ganges valleys. Areas hundreds of miles further south (including Chennai and Bangalore) are safe! Why is this? I see that the south is much more mountainous [1], whereas the Indus and Ganges valleys are very flat (hence that term "Indo-Gangetic Plain"). Is it just the combination of being low-altitude, being inland, and having lots of water? Or are there also differences in prevailing wind, or something else? [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/jcdtvi/relief_map_of_india/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/jcdtvi/relief_map_...
- scythe 5y ago
  The seabreeze colliding with the mountains in South India likely results in significant cloud cover, which cools the surface by reflecting sunlight. You can see here that the southern region has less total sunlight per year (lighter = cloudier): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_duration#/media/File:Globalcldfr_amo_200207-201504_lrg.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_duration#/media/File:...
- jameshart 5y ago
  The article indicates that in tropical regions cloud cover has an impact on maximum temperature reached; subtropical regions have less consistent cloud and so have stronger heatwaves.

twic 5y ago

It's striking to me that according to the map in figure 4, the parts of the Indian subcontinent most at risk are in the Indus and Ganges valleys. Areas hundreds of miles further south (including Chennai and Bangalore) are safe! Why is this? I see that the south is much more mountainous [1], whereas the Indus and Ganges valleys are very flat (hence that term "Indo-Gangetic Plain"). Is it just the combination of being low-altitude, being inland, and having lots of water? Or are there also differences in prevailing wind, or something else? [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/jcdtvi/relief_map_of_india/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/jcdtvi/relief_map_...

scythe 5y ago
The seabreeze colliding with the mountains in South India likely results in significant cloud cover, which cools the surface by reflecting sunlight. You can see here that the southern region has less total sunlight per year (lighter = cloudier): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_duration#/media/File:Globalcldfr_amo_200207-201504_lrg.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_duration#/media/File:...
jameshart 5y ago
The article indicates that in tropical regions cloud cover has an impact on maximum temperature reached; subtropical regions have less consistent cloud and so have stronger heatwaves.