The Climate Impact Lab unveiled its latest heat‑mortality tracker on Thursday, estimating 55,000 deaths in India between October and March 2026 as a result of the Super El Nino.
The tracker links the 3.08‑degree rise in the central Pacific to extreme temperatures across South Asia, turning monsoon patterns into deadly heatwaves.
Dr Gufran Beig, chair professor at NIAS, warned Mumbai’s winds would weaken, increasing pollution and heat exposure for the city’s 20‑million residents.
The World Meteorological Organization already labeled this El Nino the strongest since 1950 and expects the peak to arrive in December, while the UN’s WMO said the effects could last until early 2027.
In the village of Jodhpur, 54‑year‑old farmer Ramesh Singh spent the last week battling a fever that finally led to a fatal collapse in his field.
Indian health ministries are slated to issue daily heat‑wave advisories and coordinate with international aid agencies to deploy cooling centers before the projected peak.