Humid heat stress to rise sharply during monsoon, study warns

A new study published in AGU Advances projects that humid heat stress during India's monsoon season will surge as global temperatures rise. Under a 2°C warming scenario, about half of India could face uncompensable heat stress during the monsoon, up from a negligible 1% in recent decades. The eastern coast and parts of Punjab and northwestern India are expected to be most affected.

Separately, meteorologist BN Goswami told the Assam Tribune that extreme moist heat days in Assam have risen nearly fivefold in 50 years, from about 20 days annually to 100 days. He said that combined high temperature and humidity impair the body's cooling mechanism, potentially leading to a public health crisis. Experts cited by Mongabay India note that current heat action plans focus on dry summer heat and ignore humid heat stress.