Orange alert issued, 7 cities record over 45 degrees Celsius 0
Amid a punishing heatwave building up in large parts of India, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an “orange” alert for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and the national Capital region. The IMD has predicted a rise of another two degrees Celsius in the northwest region.
Large parts of India have been recording higher than normal temperatures since the second week of March, with weather experts attributing it to the absence of periodic light rainfall and thundershowers, which typify this time of the year, due to the lack of active western disturbances. The national Capital on Thursday recorded almost 44 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung base station, about 5 degrees above normal.
As per the IMD data, seven cities in India have recorded over 45 degrees Celsius while 30 cities recorded over 44 degrees Celsius. There is a possibility that the maximum temperature may touch over 48 degrees Celsius in Barmer on May 1. At least 58 years ago, Barmer has recorded 48.3 degrees in April.
The IMD predicted that the heatwave would continue over northwest and central parts of the country during the next five days. Similarly, it would continue during the next three days over eastern parts of the country and abate thereafter.
“Rise by about 2 degrees Celsius in maximum temperatures very likely over most parts of northwest, north, central and east India during next three days and fall by about 2 degrees Celsius thereafter,” it said. The weather department has also issued an advisory for vulnerable people, including children, the elderly, and people with chronic diseases to avoid heat exposure, wear lightweight, light-coloured and lose cotton clothes.
According to IMD scientist RK Jenamani, the severe conditions are likely to persist till the first week of May after which chances of rain increase. The most heatwave-prone areas, known as the core heatwave zone, are Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, West Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Vidarbha in Maharashtra, parts of Gangetic West Bengal, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. Heatwave spells last four to 10 days and the ones going to be in May are longer than those in April and June because of no rainfall.
According to experts, having recorded three prolonged heatwave spells, it could be one of the hottest April in the history of the country. The maximum temperatures were 3.1 degrees Celsius to 5 degrees Celsius above normal in Jharkhand, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh on Thursday with the mercury hitting 45.6 degrees Celsius at Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh. Temperatures may even leap to 47 degrees Celsius in parts of northwest India, weather experts said.
The IMD also forecast dust storms over Punjab, Haryana and around national capital Delhi, as well as parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. “Isolated heavy rainfall very likely over Arunachal Pradesh (Saturday) and Assam-Meghalaya (Saturday to Monday),” the IMD said.
Mahesh Palawat of Skymet weather also predicted that parts of northern India may get slight relief from the ongoing heatwave between May 4 and 7. According to a tweet by Palawat, a pre-monsoon dust storm, thunderstorms and rain is possible in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and west Uttar Pradesh. Northwest India has recorded the hottest March in 122 years, with an average maximum temperature surpassing the previous record of 30.67 degrees Celsius set in 2004.
The mercury maintained an upward trend in central India with temperatures in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh crossing 45 degrees Celcius. Vidarbha in Maharashtra and west Rajasthan have consistently reported maximum temperatures in the range of 40 degrees Celsius to 45 degree Celsius for the past two months.