Heatwaves are developing across India, warns Met dept

The deficient rainfall in winter and the fact that there has been no major rainfall in the past month has led to the high maximum temperatures KULDEEP SRIVASTAVA, a scientist at IMD

NEWDELHI: Residents of the capital and other states in northern India are likely to swelter in a heatwave over the coming days, after which there will be a very short respite, the weather office said on Thursday.

Heatwave conditions are expected to start forming by Friday in the National Capital Region centred on New Delhi, and Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, west and northeast Rajasthan and north Madhya Pradesh, according to a statement by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Typically, the Met department declares a heatwave when the day temperature shoots up by at least 5 degrees above the climatic normal.

Northern parts of the country have already experienced maximum temperatures that are significantly higher than normal. IMD’S summer forecast shows that the hill states of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh would experience maximum temperatures over 2 degrees Celsius above normal this summer, March to May.

“The deficient rainfall in winter and the fact that there has been no major rainfall in the past month has led to the high maximum temperatures,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, a scientist at IMD.

“Temperatures in Delhi -NCR are expected to fall and stay around 35 degrees C in the next few days, and they will start rising again from April 2 onwards,” said Srivastava.

Mahesh Palawat, a meteorologist with private weather forecasting agency, Skymet Weather, said, “The incursion of humid easterly winds has led to falling temperatures after they peaked above 40 degrees C in Delhi on Wednesday.” After April 3-4, a change in wind direction will push temperatures up in Delhi, he added.