Blistering heat and soaring UV, humidity levels put Kerala on its toes

Blistering heat, soaring ultraviolet (UV) levels, oppressive humidity amplified by rising heat index values, and the urban heat island effect are making life increasingly uncomfortable across Kerala during the peak of the summer with residents reporting unease amid the sweltering, sultry conditions, which are expected to persist until the first week of May.

Temperatures crossed the 40˚C mark twice last week in Palakkad and are now dangerously hovering around heatwave threshold levels at many stations across the State, especially in Punalur and Palakkad. Coastal regions in north Kerala, including Kannur and Kozhikode, have also been experiencing sultry conditions due to unusually high relative humidity in the air, which drives the ‘feels-like’ temperature dangerously high.