New Delhi: Heatwave conditions are likely to prevail over Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Bihar over the next few days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a statement Thursday.
Gangetic West Bengal will experience heatwaves from 13 to 17 April, while northern coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are likely to be hit between 13 and 15 April, and Bihar from 15 to 17 April.
A fresh western disturbance and cyclonic circulation will bring moderate to widespread rainfall over Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, while isolated rainfall is likely over Punjab and Haryana from 17 to 19 April. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are also likely to see rainfall and thunderstorm activity.
In its long-season forecast issued in February, the IMD had said the summer months of March to May would bring higher than normal temperatures, particularly for northeast India, east and central India, and some parts of northwest India.
On Thursday, the IMD said maximum temperatures could reach 40 to 42 degrees Celsius over central and north peninsular India, which includes parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.
The western Himalayan region, northeast, and Puducherry will also see temperatures that are 3 to 5 degrees above normal, while the rest of the country will experience temperatures 1 to 3 degrees higher than normal.
Akshay Deoras, a research scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science & Department, said on Twitter that dry winds from the west are responsible for higher temperatures.
Above normal maximum temperature & a heatwave are possible in parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and western West Bengal. Above normal maximum temperature is also expected in Telangana. Interestingly, a heatwave appears unlikely in Rajasthan.
— Dr Akshay Deoras (@akshaydeoras) April 7, 2023
Temperatures are likely to fall gradually by 2 to 3 degrees over most parts of the country from 20 to 26 April, the Met department added.
The formation of an El Niño later this year is likely to impact temperatures and rainfall further. On Monday, the IMD said that although rainfall through the southwest monsoon season is likely to be within “normal” range, any possible impact of El Niño would be seen during the latter half of the season. The season begins in June and ends in September.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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