Over 800 annual cold-related deaths in North India since 2013: Mospi

Total number of cold wave days declined in 2022; will this year buck the trend?

As North India struggles with a cold wave, data shows that in the last decade, on an average, over 800 people have died every year due to exposure to the cold. However, the number of cold wave days experienced in a year have declined.

Calendar 2022 had fewer cold wave days than 2021, shows the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s Environmental Statistics report.

First, though, it is important to understand what qualifies as a cold wave. The India Meteorological Department’s definition of a cold wave is based not just on the departure from the normal minimum temperature but also