Too hot to open

Idea in one line Experience India’s extreme temperatures through doors that show which days are safe to step outside.

What counts as “data” in your project? Heatwaves in India are becoming more and more intense and frequent, with summer temperatures in many regions routinely exceeding 45 °C. But the numbers on a weather report don’t always capture what the heat actually “feels like” on your skin outdoors.

The Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) calculates this “feels-like” temperature, based on air temperature, sunlight, humidity, and wind. The index is a scale where values between 9°C and 26°C indicate comfortable conditions, while values above 32°C signal strong heat stress, and those above 46°C mark extreme heat stress.

The estimate of how it feels like to be outdoors allows us to identify which days are safe to step outside.

We look at 1994, 2009, and 2024 to track how heat stress has shaped daily life over three decades in various regions. By layering this data with indoor and outdoor job types, then and now, we also bring focus to how extreme heat affects work, mobility, and human experience, showing the unequal ways people live and cope with rising temperatures.