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A woman puts water on her face to get relief from extreme heat during hot weather in Kolkata, India.

Debajyoti Chakraborty via Reuters

We need to talk about wet bulb weather

Millions of Indians are suffering through one of the country’s worst heat waves in over a century.

Temperatures in India throughout April passed 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) – a hell on earth that the Washington Post says is "testing the limits of human survival.” India’s meteorology department, meanwhile, has warned that the country is likely to continue to fry throughout May.

The problem is that residents can’t sweat it out – literally. India is not only experiencing soaring temperatures, but also soaring humidity levels, giving rise to a phenomenon known as wet bulb conditions. This occurs when temperatures exceed 88 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity is over 95%.

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