New Delhi: The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a forecast indicating an anticipated surge in heatwave occurrences across India in May, with both maximum and minimum temperatures projected to escalate.
The warming trend has already manifested, with April recording a 40% increase in heatwave occurrences compared to the historical average.
Typically, heatwaves dominate the northern plains, central India, and adjacent areas of the peninsula for approximately three days at various meteorological stations in May. However, this month, several regions of the country are expected to endure an additional 2-8 days of heatwaves.
Central India, encompassing South Rajasthan, West Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Marathwada, and Gujarat, is likely to witness a surplus of heatwave days, exceeding the normal count by about 5-8 days.
Moreover, the Northwest, Eastern, and Southern regions, including Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, northern interior Karnataka, Telangana, and isolated pockets of northern Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, may encounter 2-4 days of temperatures above the norm.
Furthermore, most parts of the country are expected to witness maximum temperatures exceeding the usual, barring specific regions in the northeast, northwest, central India, and parts of the northeast peninsula.
Similarly, above-normal minimum temperatures are anticipated nationwide, except for certain areas in northwest India, the Indo-Gangetic plains, central India, and much of northeast India.
In April, the Southern Peninsula experienced one of its driest periods since 1901, with only 12.6 mm of rainfall, the fifth lowest recorded since then.
Additionally, April marked the second-hottest month for the Peninsular region since 1901, with an average mean temperature of 31.39°C, surpassing the normal mean temperature of 30.16°C.
Furthermore, April witnessed 118 heatwave days, exceeding the average of 71 days. Odisha reported the highest number of heatwave days in nine years (18 days), followed by West Bengal with the highest count in 15 years (16 days), along with significant occurrences in Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Interior Karnataka, Southern Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Sikkim.
Moreover, Odisha experienced its longest heatwave spell in April 2024 from April 15 to April 30 (16 days), the longest since April 2016 when it persisted from April 9 to April 30 (21 days).
The increased number of heatwave days is attributed to scanty rainfall and the persistence of anti-cyclones over the Bay of Bengal and adjoining eastern coasts of India. However, no heatwaves were reported over North and Central India in April 2024 due to five consecutive Western Disturbances.
