Heat Wave To Persist Across Northwest, Central India, Relief Likely After 29 May: IMD

(MENAFN- Live Mint) NEW DELHI: Heat wave conditions are set to persist across large parts of India this week before temperatures begin easing from 29 May, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in an update on Tuesday.

Heat wave to severe heat wave conditions are expected to continue across large parts of central and northwest India over the next 3-4 days, while east and adjoining peninsular India are likely to experience similar conditions for the next 2-3 days.

Even as extreme heat grips much of the country, conditions remain favourable for the further advance of the southwest monsoon into some more parts of the southwest and southeast Arabian Sea, southwest, southeast and east-central Bay of Bengal, and the remaining parts of the Andaman Sea over the next 2–3 days, according to the IMD forecast.

The IMD has forecast the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala on 26 May, ahead of its normal onset date of 1 June, with a model error margin of four days on either side. Last year, the monsoon reached the Kerala coast on 24 May.

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A timely monsoon is critical for kharif sowing, especially for crops such as paddy, maize, cotton, soybean and oilseeds, as India remains heavily dependent on the southwest monsoon, which accounts for more than 70% of its annual rainfall.

The IMD said Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and east Uttar Pradesh are likely to witness heat wave conditions between 27-28 May, with severe heat wave conditions expected in some areas of Punjab on 27 May, and Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh on 27 May. West Rajasthan is expected to face severe heat wave conditions through 28 May, while Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha are likely to remain under intense heat stress till 29 May.

Severe heat wave conditions are forecast over parts of west and east Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha during the week. Heat wave conditions are also likely in isolated pockets of Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and coastal Andhra Pradesh. The IMD has also warned of warm night conditions over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Telangana on 27 May, increasing discomfort levels.

Maximum temperatures across northwest India are expected to remain largely unchanged till 27 May before declining sharply by 6–8 degrees Celsius during 28-29 May. Central and east India are also expected to witness a gradual fall in temperatures from 29 May onwards.

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Amid the heat, isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over northeast and adjoining east India during the next 2–3 days, while Kerala and Tamil Nadu may receive heavy rainfall on 26 May.

On 25 May, maximum temperatures ranged between 43-47°C across parts of northwest and central India, adjoining Uttar Pradesh, and east and north peninsular India, while most other parts of the country recorded temperatures between 40-43°C, except northeast India, the western Himalayan region and west peninsular India. The highest maximum temperature of 47.6°C was reported at Banda in Uttar Pradesh and Brahmpuri in Maharashtra.

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