Singh et al. (2026) Emergence of strong trends in humid heat intensity and duration in recent decades over South Asia

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich)
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-09
• Authors: Jitendra Singh, Deepti Singh, Sebastian Sippel, Erich Fischer
• DOI: 10.3929/ethz-c-000791895

Research Groups

Not specified in the provided text.

Short Summary

This study examines the trends and drivers of humid heat extremes in South Asia during both pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons, revealing a significant intensification of monsoon season humid heat since the early 2000s, driven by earlier peak humidity, and varied trends in pre-monsoon extremes linked to humidity changes.

Objective

• To examine the trends and drivers of humid heat extremes in South Asia during both the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional (South Asia, including specific parts like Western South Asia).
• Temporal Scale: Multi-decadal (from the 1950s to present-day climate, with a focus on changes since the early 2000s).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not specified in the provided text.
• Data sources: Not specified in the provided text, but implies analysis of historical climate data.

Main Results

• Since the early 2000s, monsoon season humid heat extremes have warmed twice as fast as the long-term rate observed since the 1950s.
• The duration of monsoon season humid heat extremes has increased from approximately 2 days in the 1950s to several weeks in the present-day climate.
• This intensification in parts of South Asia during the monsoon season is driven by peak humidity occurring approximately 2 weeks earlier since 2000, coinciding with higher temperatures, and elevated humidity during precipitation events preceding humid-heat events.
• Pre-monsoon humid heat extremes have increased across most areas of South Asia, with the exception of Western South Asia, where they have declined since 2000.
• Declining humidity levels are identified as the driver for pre-monsoon trends.

Contributions

• Provides a detailed analysis of the differential trends and specific drivers of humid heat extremes across pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons in South Asia.
• Highlights the rapid intensification of monsoon season humid heat extremes and their increasing duration, linking it to shifts in peak humidity timing and preceding precipitation events.
• Identifies distinct drivers for pre-monsoon and monsoon humid heat trends, offering critical insights for targeted climate adaptation and mitigation strategies.
• Emphasizes the escalating threat of humid heat to health, productivity, and the economy, calling for urgent responses.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Singh2026Emergence,
  author = {Singh, Jitendra and Singh, Deepti and Sippel, Sebastian and Fischer, Erich},
  title = {Emergence of strong trends in humid heat intensity and duration in recent decades over South Asia},
  journal = {Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich)},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3929/ethz-c-000791895},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-c-000791895}
}