Several parts of India, including the northern parts of the Indo-Gangetic plains, the eastern coastal states, the western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra,
and adjoining areas, will have a higher-than-normal number of heatwave days this year. As per the forecast, heatwave conditions are expected from April to June in many places, especially in regions such as the southern parts of West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, and adjoining areas like Chhattisgarh and Telangana in the east. Heatwave conditions are also expected in the Indo-Gangetic plains, including Haryana, UP, Bihar and Jharkhand, southern parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, some areas within Gujarat, and portions of northern Maharashtra, the weather department said. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of India Meteorological Department (IMD), told PTI, "There are climatologically prone areas -- for example, the normal temperature in the Vidarbha region (Maharashtra) is around 41 to 42 degrees Celsius at this time of year. Similarly, the normal temperature in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana touches 40 to 44 degrees Celsius towards the month of May." “Therefore, we should be prepared for such high-temperature days," he added. Several major cities in the northern part of the country have already recorded high temperatures. Prayagraj with 44.4 degrees Celsius recorded the highest temperature in Uttar Pradesh as heatwave conditions gripped several parts of the state, the Meteorological Department said on Monday. Varanasi recorded 44.0 degrees Celsius, while Banda, 43, and Sultanpur, 43.3, were also among the hottest places. In the state capital Lucknow, the maximum temperature was recorded at 41.6 degrees Celsius, which is 3.1 degrees above normal, while the minimum settled at 24.0 degrees Celsius, 2.4 degrees above normal. The city recorded 57 per cent maximum relative humidity and 14 per cent minimum humidity, with no rainfall reported during the day. Other major cities, including Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Agra and Aligarh, also recorded maximum temperatures ranging between 40 and 43 degrees Celsius, all above normal levels. (With PTI Inputs)
