The manufacturers of air conditioners experienced significant growth in revenue, with many of them seeing profits double or more during the April-June quarter due to the increased demand caused by the intense summer heat.

In January, the world marked an entire year with the mean surface air temperature surpassing the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold. Additionally, June was the 12th consecutive month with monthly average temperatures above those of the 1850-1900 pre-industrial era.

Uttar Pradesh is the worst affected having reported 36 deaths followed by Bihar, Rajasthan, and Odisha, according to the data compiled under the National Heat-Related Illness and Death Surveillance by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). 

Industry players report that compressors, cross flow fans/motors, and PCB circuits are being imported via air freight from global suppliers in countries such as China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan, to ensure continuous production and maintain supply lines, as traditional ocean freight deliveries are too slow to keep up.

IMD said heat wave to severe heat wave conditions prevailed in parts of Uttar Pradesh, south Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab and pockets of north Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and the Jammu division.

Fuel sales, which typically surge during election periods, have deviated from this pattern in 2024, showing a consistent decline month after month. The downward trend persisted even after the conclusion of the general elections.

“The present heatwave has taken a toll on vegetable supplies, with prices of potatoes, tomatoes, and onions rising. This trend is likely to continue for another month or two,” said Madan Sabnavis, Chief Economist at Bank of Baroda.

The weather office said heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are likely in parts of Uttar Pradesh till June 16 and over Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand till June 14.

The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, referring to a directive from the school education department on June 11, urged state-run and state-aided schools to collaborate with stakeholders to tailor school hours without disrupting the academic calendar and mid-day meal programme.

India experienced multiple intense and prolonged heat waves in April and May which tested the limits of human endurance and the country's disaster preparedness, as many states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha, reported heat wave-related deaths.

May 2024 was the warmest May ever and the last 12 consecutive months — June 2023 to May 2024 — have broken temperature records for each corresponding month, according to the European climate agency Copernicus.

According to the Special Relief Commissioner’s (SRC) office, 99 deaths have been reported in the past 72 hours alone.