‘Intense heatwave sweeps East India, spreads to South’
NEW DELHI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reports that the intense heatwave affecting vast regions of eastern India has now extended to the southern states as of Tuesday.
Regions in Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu are experiencing temperatures ranging from two to seven degrees Celsius above the usual, with Anantapur and Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh recording highs of 43.5 and 43.2 degrees Celsius respectively. Similarly, Salem and Erode in Tamil Nadu have reached 42.3 and 42 degrees Celsius.
This current heatwave, marking the second occurrence in April, has been prevalent in Odisha since April 15 and in Gangetic West Bengal since April 17.
The IMD anticipates that heatwave to severe heatwave conditions will persist in eastern and southern peninsular India over the next five days. Temperature increases of 2-4 degrees Celsius in northwest and eastern India, and 3-4 degrees Celsius in Maharashtra are expected in the coming 4-5 days.
States including West Bengal, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Sikkim, Telangana, Uttar
Pradesh, and Jharkhand are likely to face heatwave to severe heatwave conditions in the next five days.
Coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh,
Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala, and states like Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Bihar may experience high humidity, adding to the discomfort.
Odisha is expected to have warm nights between April 25-27, which can be hazardous as it prevents the body from cooling down. Urban areas, in particular, may experience increased nighttime heat due to the urban heat island effect.
The criteria for a heatwave are met when a weather station’s maximum temperature reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in plains, 37 degrees in coastal regions, and 30 degrees in hilly areas, with a