IMD issues severe heatwave alert for THESE states, temperature likely to touch 45 degrees
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a warning for heatwave to severe heatwave conditions expected to prevail in many parts of the country today (May 18). The Met Department further said that a wet spell with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely to continue over south Peninsular India till May 23.
FollowThe brunt of the heat has now moved to Northwest India, where severe heatwaves are anticipated to scorch Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh till May 22. Temperatures had already risen by 4.7℃ in Haryana, with a maximum of 47.1℃ in Sirsa and 46.3℃ in Ludhiana, Punjab.
The terrible heat has spread across the national capital, with 45.1℃ reported in Palam, Delhi, which was approximately 4℃ above-normal on Friday, while it was recorded at 46.2℃ at Ayanagar, and peaked at 47.4℃ at Najafgarh. Even at night, temperatures stay about 27℃, with warm conditions in certain areas.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange warning for the states from May 18–22 due to the severe heat, and a red alert for Rajasthan, where most localities have already seen temperatures exceeding 43–46°C. Saturday is expected to see an additional 2-3°C spike in temperature, and the weekend will bring a scorching heatwave.
The following several days will see dry weather with little chance of rain as summer reaches its zenith. However, because of a western disturbance affecting the higher altitudes in Himachal and Jammu & Kashmir, people may encounter strong surface winds (25–35 kmph) during the day, according to IMD.
The searing heatwave conditions have already started impacting parts of West Rajasthan, isolated areas of Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, East Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat on Friday.
The deadly heat waves swept Rayalaseema, Jharkhand, North Interior Karnataka for nearly 10 days, followed by South Interior Karnataka (8), Tamil Nadu (7), Konkan and Goa (6), Bihar (6), Kerala (5), Saurashtra (4), Telangana (4) and Chhattisgarh (2). The meteorological bureau had warned in its summer forecast that heatwaves were predicted to sweep throughout Northwest India in May.
According to IMD, the present heatwaves may also affect Bihar, Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, and East Madhya Pradesh, where humidity levels have increased. The mercury is also anticipated to increase in Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon has yet to arrive. The most recent estimate is that it will move towards the South Andaman Sea, southeast Bay of Bengal, and Nicobar Islands around May 19. With this, the MeT is sure that it would arrive over Kerala around May 31 (+/-4 days). However, seasonal rains may take 20-25 days to reach Delhi in the latter week of June. The four-month monsoon season is responsible for approximately 75% of the country's yearly rainfall, and this year, the IMD anticipated above-normal precipitation.
