Northwest, Central India witness hottest April in 122 years, says IMD

Meanwhile, over the past several weeks, the northwest and western sections of the nation have been subjected to blistering heat waves. The IMD has issued an orange alert for Saturday across Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra's Vidarbha area.

The warmest April in 122 years was reported in Northwest and Central India, with average maximum temperatures hitting 35.9 and 37.78 degrees Celsius, respectively. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director-General of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), announced on Saturday that the average temperature recorded in India in April was 35.05 degrees, the fourth highest in 122 years.

During a news conference, Mohapatra also stated that above-normal temperatures are forecast in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana in May. Mohapatra blamed the high temperatures in March and April on 'consistently inadequate rainfall activity.'

"Maximum temperatures will be above average in most portions of west-central and northwest India, as well as northern sections of northeast India, in May. Maximum temperatures in the remaining sections of the nation are expected to be normal to slightly below average," during the press conference, Mohapatra stated.

According to Mohapatra, the average rainfall across the nation in May 2022 is projected to be above normal, with the exception of some portions of northwest India, northeast India, and the extreme southeast Peninsula.

"Normal to above-normal rainfall is predicted throughout most of India, with the exception of some sections of northwest India, some parts of northeast India, and the extreme southeast Peninsula, where it is likely to be below normal," the IMD director-general noted.

On Friday, many states faced electricity shortages as temperatures rose, increasing demand, while opposition parties accused the Centre for coal shortages at thermal facilities. The country's peak electricity consumption reached an all-time high of 207.11 GW on Friday as the heatwave intensified. In addition, the railways suspended 42 passenger trains to allow for the transportation of coal freight, with the South East Central Railway (SECR) division, which handles the coal-producing areas, cancelling 34 trains.