India records 49 degree Celsius, what would happen if temperature touches 50 degree Celsius-mark?

New Delhi: Several countries, including India, are witnessing one of the harshest spells of heatwaves. Weather conditions in India have shown no sign of mercy despite light to moderate showers last week. With the prevailing heat conditions, mercury touching around 50 degrees Celsius has become a common scenario and has left weather experts wondering what would happen if the 50 degrees Celsius, which is half of the boiling temperature, becomes a routine and if the human body would be able to cope with it.

Delhi and several other parts of India on Sunday witnessed temperature crossing the 49 degrees Celsius mark, which suggests that a 50-degree level is around the corner. Uttar Pradesh’s Banda recorded a maximum day temperature of 49 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the highest in the state. As per the India Meteorological Department data, this was the highest-ever temperature recorded in Banda in May.

What would happen if 50 degrees Celcius becomes normal?

Scientists have time and again blamed massive global carbon emissions for the augmenting temperatures. With continued emissions and lack of action, not only will these extreme heat events become more severe and more frequent but sadly, the emergency response and recovery will become more insurmountable.

According to a study from Rutgers University in the US, as many as 1.2 billion people around the world could face heat stress conditions by 2100 if current levels of global warming continue.

The risen temperature will change the landscape around people, with vegetation and crops getting damaged due to uncertain heat. Forest Fires will become common triggering a rise in air pollution.

What happens to human body when the temperature crosses 50 degrees Celsius

This is no news that the human body is designed to function at a certain temperature and weather conditions. While your body may survive the extremes of the weather extreme temperatures will undoubtedly result in stress to the body.

This is why we often witness people dealing with severe fevers and digestive and blood pressure issues that might also result in death many times.

As per the scientific data, the body works best within a narrow range of body temperature - 36C to 37.5C - and gets rid of heat mainly by sweating, although breathing and an increased heart rate can also expel heat.

The hotter and more humid it gets the more the body has to sweat, increasing the risk of dehydration.

In extreme heat, the body starts to struggle to cool itself down, which can then lead to heat cramps, heat exhaustion or even heatstroke - also known as sunstroke.

50 degrees Celsius has happened before…

The temperature rose above 50 degrees celsius globally for 26 days from 2010 to 2019, whereas between 1980 to 2009, the temperature crossed the mark only on 14 days.

While such temperature is comprehensible in the western Asian countries like India due to extreme climatic conditions, scientists have noticed heatwaves in countries like Canada too.