Now Reading: Gujarat study finds 2.3 more hot days each decade since 1951
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Gujarat study finds 2.3 more hot days each decade since 1951
The Story in Brief
The number of days with temperatures of 35°C or above in Gujarat's agro-climatic zone has increased by about 2.3 per decade between 1951 and 2025, according to a study published in the International Journal of Climatology by scientists from the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The study also found the number of warm nights with temperatures of 20°C or above rose by 1.5 per decade, and the highest day of the year is warming by about 0.14°C per decade while the coldest night is warming by about 0.17°C per decade. Lead author Dr Ashutosh Kumar Misra said the heat accumulated over the cotton season has increased by about 21.6 heat units per decade, but the study did not examine crop yields.
Separately on Sunday, 18 October, Ahmedabad recorded a maximum of 37.4°C and a minimum of 25.8°C, with its average Air Quality Index touching 252 and 11 neighbourhoods reporting severe AQI readings between 308 and 364. Mumbai experienced a humid morning with an average AQI of 127. The IMD forecast no large change in Gujarat temperatures over the next seven days and predicted one or two spells of rain or thundershowers for Mumbai on 21 October.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Times of India leads its coverage with the long-term climate study and frames the current heat as part of a decades-long trend quantified by IMD and ICAR scientists. Its second story focuses on the haze and air quality in Ahmedabad, citing a local environmentalist on construction dust. Hindustan Times covers Mumbai's humid Sunday and attributes the conditions to moist easterly winds, quoting an IMD scientist. Freepress Journal adds a specific forecast: a maximum of 35°C for Mumbai on Monday and possible rain around 21 October. The coverage across outlets is uniform in reporting the data from the CPCB and IMD, with no outlet adopting a pro-government or government-critical stance on this local weather story. All remain straight news reports with regional focus. The only concrete next step named is the forecast for rain on 21 October in Mumbai.
Coverage: 5 sources, 5 neutral
Sources (5): timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2) (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (3) (neutral report), hindustantimes.com (neutral report), freepressjournal.in (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 5 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
Update, 19 October 2026: this story now draws on 5 sources.
