And about 400 million pilgrims are expected at the spectacular Kumbh Mela festival on India’s sacred riverbanks, billed as the largest gathering of humanity on the planet.
The UK weather service has already forecast sweltering global temperatures for 2025, suggesting it is likely to rank among the hottest years recorded.
Yet forecasts of typically Scottish bad weather forced the cancellation of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party, a major tourist draw which was expected to attract 50,000 people.
“It’s a really difficult decision that has to be made,” Hogmanay co-director Al Thompson told AFP. “Nobody wants to be in this position.”
There was unlikely going to be much fanfare either in France’s Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, where Cyclone Chido devastated the country’s poorest department in mid-December, killing at least 39 people.
“We have children who have been traumatised by Cyclone Chido, so we haven’t made any plans for tonight,” said Nouria Rama, 45, who works at the island’s education board.
