Heatwave to dominate northwest till May 1

Heatwave conditions will persist over northwest India till May 1, according to a weather forecast issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday.

Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are expected to experience heatwave conditions, while states like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Coastal Karnataka will see hot and humid weather.

On Sunday, parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana recorded temperatures above 43°C.

Meanwhile, the northeastern states — Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh — are likely to receive heavy rainfall till May 1.

In Delhi, the maximum temperature on April 27 touched 41.3°C, 2.3 degrees above normal, while IMD’s weather station at Ridge recorded 42.4°C. Though the capital will not experience a heatwave, temperatures are expected to stay between 38°C and 40°C over the coming days.

The IMD defines a heatwave as a maximum temperature of 45°C or more in the plains. A fresh western disturbance is expected to impact the Western Himalayan region from May 2, which could lead to a drop in temperatures.

“Maximum temperatures were in the range of 40-44°C at many places over the plains of Northwest and northern parts of east India and 35-40°C at many places across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala and Mahe; at a few places over north interior Karnataka; and at isolated places over the Western Himalayan Region and northeast India,” the IMD said.