Early heatwave in India sparks fear of 'new normal'

Meanwhile, an unusually early heat wave brought more extreme temperatures to a large swath of India's northwest Monday, raising concerns that such weather conditions could become the new normal.

India's weather agency declares a heat wave when the maximum temperatures are at least 4.5 C (40 F) above the normal average.Extreme temperatures have also struck large parts of northern and western India in the last week, with the desert state of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi among the worst-hit.In recent years, heat waves have caused a number of deaths in India, including daily wage workers, rickshaw drivers, street vendors and the homeless, many of whom have to work outside in hot conditions and are at the greatest risk of heat exhaustion and heatstroke.2015 saw the worst heat wave in India since 1992, killing at least 2,081 people.