Heatwaves and cloudbursts continue…prepare for hotter days.

The rains are pelting Mumbai and its vicinity after a tardy start. The unimaginable collateral impact. The Rumale family made the decision to make a break for it by walking to the next station while delayed in a stopped local train close to the Kalyan suburb. They will regret that choice for the rest of their life. Baby Yogita Rumale was being carried by Grandpa when he lost control in the rain, causing the baby to fall off and disappear into a flooded nullah below.

In a little tribal hamlet called Irshalwadi, in the Raigad district of Khalapur, not far from the rail track tragedy, a cloudburst of 400mm of rain on Wednesday night caused the hill to collapse, killing everyone who lived there.

Ironically, thousands of people are dying in the US, Europe, and Asia due to record-breaking heat. From Canada to Australia, wildfires in the summer and cloudbursts in the off-season are now frequent occurrences, but this is the first time that extreme weather has made the news in advance of the conflict in Ukraine.

A third of the US population is being warned about heat waves. El Paso, Texas, and Phoenix, among other cities, both shattered records. The death-dealing 54 degrees Celsius have been the norm in Death Valley, California.

In recent weeks, the waters off Florida have been too warm for swimming. Coral reefs off the coast are at danger due to the temperature.

The Mediterranean appears to be an extended Sahara, and Europe is frying for the second year in a succession. Greece has prohibited daytime visits to the Acropolis out of concern for fatalities from dehydration. The meteorological office of Spain issued a temperature warning for a range of 42 to 45 degrees C. Japan has reached a 150-year high.

One analysis claims that the heat wave last year killed 61,000 people in Europe, possibly more than the total number of people killed in the conflict in Ukraine to date. The following two years look to be considerably worse.