Day temperatures over most parts of the country are set to see a sharp rise starting this week, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
“Over Northwest India, there will be a gradual rise in the maximum temperature by 3-5 degrees Celsius during the next four to five days. The day temperatures along central India and interior Maharashtra will increase by 2-4 degrees Celsius,” IMD said Monday.
After a brief heatwave earlier this month, Gujarat is preparing for hot and humid weather early this week. As per the IMD, maximum temperatures are expected to stay 2 to 3 degrees above normal until early Wednesday.
As the month progressed, pre-monsoon seasonal rains affected Kerala, Tamil Nadu, south interior Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Western disturbance streams brought precipitation to Northeast India, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh.
This March, the Northwest regions of India experienced significantly dry conditions, contributing to an increase in the average monthly maximum temperatures across the country. Heatwave episodes have been reported in western Gujarat, the Konkan region, parts of Vidarbha in Maharashtra, and areas of Odisha bordering Chhattisgarh.
In March, normal or above-average rainfall was recorded only in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, south interior Karnataka, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand. The southern peninsula has received about 40 per cent more rainfall than its average total for the season (up to March 23), while rainfall in all other regions has been below normal.
According to IMD, Widespread rainfall is expected in east Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, North Karnataka, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, and Telangana until Wednesday due to wind confluence over eastern India.
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A fresh wave of western disturbances is expected to impact the western Himalayan regions starting Monday. The Met department has forecast light to moderate rainfall, accompanied by thunder and lightning, over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan, and Muzaffarabad until Friday. Similar weather conditions are anticipated for Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand through March 27.
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