{"id":60045,"date":"2026-06-12T03:40:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T07:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/old-temperature-graphic-falsely-linked-to-recent-heatwave-in-india\/12\/06\/2026\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T03:40:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T07:40:09","slug":"old-temperature-graphic-falsely-linked-to-recent-heatwave-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/old-temperature-graphic-falsely-linked-to-recent-heatwave-in-india\/12\/06\/2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Old temperature graphic falsely linked to recent heatwave in India"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As extreme heat engulfed India in May 2026 with temperatures hitting as high as 48.2C, social media users shared an old graphic falsely claiming that it showed the mercury had reached 60C in the country. The image was in fact made in 2022 and shows land surface temperatures (LST) &#8212; which is different from air temperature, the metric used to measure heat felt by the human body.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Stop complaining. India is currently running in high-temperature sterilisation mode,&#8221; a traditional Chinese text overlay of an <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/4UPC-8WCM\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Instagram image;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Instagram image&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Instagram image<\/a> shared on May 29, 2026, reads mockingly. &#8220;It&#8217;s only May and the grey areas are already at 60C. They are being sous-vide cooked.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It includes infrared imagery using colour scales to represent LST in India, with parts of the country represented in black and grey, indicating a temperature of 50C or above.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Screenshot of the false Instagram post captured on June 2, 2026, with a red X added by AFP <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It circulated after international air-quality monitoring platform AQI <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndtv.com\/health\/modi-warns-of-dangers-as-heatwave-grips-india-11553637\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:recorded;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;recorded&quot;}\" class=\"link \">recorded<\/a> that the top 45 hottest cities in the world were all in India at midday on May 27, all above 43C\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/YM7W-SB3G\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:archived link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;archived link&quot;}\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned of the dangers of &#8220;extreme heat&#8221; after at least 16 people died of heatstroke in southern Telangana state the previous week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Temperatures in New Delhi were 40C at midday on the day, while the city of Banda in Uttar Pradesh state 465 kilometres (289 miles) southeast of the Indian capital reached 48.2C earlier in the month &#8212; 3.8C above normal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Years of scientific research have found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The country&#8217;s highest officially recorded temperature is 51C, measured at Phalodi in Rajasthan in 2016.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Similar claims appeared on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/NV2Y-D57W\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Threads;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Threads&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Threads<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/T3MG-WNUX\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:X;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;X&quot;}\" class=\"link \">X<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/T5PU-28DV\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Sina;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Sina&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Sina<\/a>\u00a0and Hong Kong-based forum <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/24H9-Z252\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:LIHKG;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;LIHKG&quot;}\" class=\"link \">LIHKG<\/a>, but the image is not related to the heatwave in 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=linGPlWGcDw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:reverse image search;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;reverse image search&quot;}\" class=\"link \">reverse image search<\/a> on Google found US news website Axios published the graphic attributed to the ADAM platform in a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2022\/04\/29\/extreme-heat-wave-escalates-india-pakistan\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:report;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;report&quot;}\" class=\"link \">report<\/a> on April 29, 2022 about a heatwave that swept across India and Pakistan at the time (<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20260602072045\/https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2022\/04\/29\/extreme-heat-wave-escalates-india-pakistan\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:archived link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;archived link&quot;}\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Temperatures in New Delhi\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thejakartapost.com\/culture\/2022\/04\/28\/south-asia-wilts-in-heat-as-delhi-rubbish-dump-burns\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:hit;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;hit&quot;}\" class=\"link \">hit<\/a> 45C on the day, leading to power shortages as consumption for air conditioning and fans skyrocketed (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/8TRB-DL2J\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:archived link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;archived link&quot;}\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"&lt;span&gt;Screenshot comparison between the false Instagram post (L) and the image used by Axios&lt;\/span&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"438\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Adq.Pc1KE3f2k1FKnyYF_A--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQzODtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/afp_factcheck_us_713\/524fde42a4720b293ac74fc833ee932c\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Screenshot comparison between the false Instagram post (L) and the image used by Axios<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A spokesperson for ADAM &#8212; which describes itself on its <a href=\"https:\/\/adamplatform.eu\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:website;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;website&quot;}\" class=\"link \">website<\/a> as a tool to access global environmental data &#8212; told AFP in an email on June 11, 2026, that the image represented LST measured on April 28, 2022.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Professor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ees.cuhk.edu.hk\/staff\/prof-leung-wing-mo\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Leung Wing-mo;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Leung Wing-mo&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Leung Wing-mo<\/a>, a meteorologist and former assistant director of the Hong Kong Observatory, said LST &#8212; the measure given in the graphic &#8212; is different from air temperature (<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20260612040034\/https:\/\/www.ees.cuhk.edu.hk\/staff\/prof-leung-wing-mo\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:archived link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;archived link&quot;}\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He told AFP that air temperature is the metric measured slightly above the ground &#8212; usually 1.5 and two metres &#8212; and refers to the air people are immediately exposed to, while LST is the temperature of the &#8220;skin&#8221; of the Earth&#8217;s surface, such as the top of the grass, pavement, or canopy, and is measured via satellite thermal infrared radiation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He went on to say if LST reaches 60C, the air temperature is likely to be &#8220;very high&#8221;, but it can vary depending on conditions such as clouds, wind, relative humidity and rain, as well as the nature of the surface.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;During a sunny day, LST can exceed air temperature by 10 to 20C,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">AFP has previously tackled <a href=\"https:\/\/factcheck.afp.com\/doc.afp.com.A9KY2T3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:falsehoods;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;falsehoods&quot;}\" class=\"link \">falsehoods<\/a> about\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/factcheck.afp.com\/doc.afp.com.A7XY466\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:climate change;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;climate change&quot;}\" class=\"link \">climate change<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/weather-news\/articles\/old-temperature-graphic-falsely-linked-062858899.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As extreme heat engulfed India in May 2026 with temperatures hitting as high as 48.2C, social media users shared an old graphic<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/old-temperature-graphic-falsely-linked-to-recent-heatwave-in-india\/12\/06\/2026\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":60046,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/en\/afp_factcheck_us_713\/e0aedc987314397538053d05f61eaf2b","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60045"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60045\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}