Heat Wave Alert Issued for Parts of East and Peninsular India Over Next 2 Days

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heatwave conditions to prevail over parts of east and peninsular India during the next two days, according to its latest update.

Regions likely to experience heat waves include Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Vidarbha, North Interior Karnataka, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Rayalaseema, and Telangana.

During the past 24 hours, heat wave conditions were observed in isolated pockets over North Interior Karnataka, Rayalaseema, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Yanam.

Heatwaves pose a significant risk to human health when exposed to high air temperatures. The IMD defines heatwaves based on temperature thresholds, considering actual temperature or its departure from normal.

IMD advises people to avoid heat exposure by wearing lightweight, light-coloured, loose-fitting cotton clothes, covering their heads, and using a cloth, hat, or umbrella.

On Thursday, maximum temperatures ranged between 40-42 degrees Celsius over many parts of Vidarbha, Telangana, Rayalaseema, some parts of East Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Marathwada, Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam, and North Interior Karnataka. Isolated pockets experienced similar temperatures over Gangetic West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

Maximum temperature departures were above normal by 3-4 degrees Celsius at isolated pockets over Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, East Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Vidarbha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Gangetic West Bengal, Rayalaseema, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

Additionally, enhanced rainfall and thunderstorm activity are expected to continue over the northeastern part of the country until April 9, 2024.

Another Western disturbance is likely to affect the Western Himalayan Region from April 10, 2024. This is expected to result in light rainfall/snowfall at isolated places over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh on April 5-6, 10-11, and over Uttarakhand during the next 7 days.

Rainfall at isolated places over Rajasthan is also expected on April 5-6, and 10-11, 2024, according to IMD.

Cyclonic circulations persist over north Bangladesh and the east Assam neighbourhood, leading to widespread light/moderate rainfall/snowfall with isolated thunderstorms and lightning over Arunachal Pradesh. Scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall is expected over Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura during the next 7 days.