India’s deadly heatwave: What to expect in the coming days in the ‘hottest summer’ ever?

The heat is intolerable in most parts of India. And in the coming days, it’s likely to worsen. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday predicted heatwave conditions in large parts of the country for at least the next five days as the country witnesses it’s “hottest summer” ever.Northwest India this year recorded the hottest March in 122 year. Temperatures in some parts of the region are expected to cross 45 degrees Celsius.The summer has come unusually early this year with the country already witnessing four heatwaves since March. But when does the IMD declare a heatwave? And what can we expect in the coming days across India?When a heatwave is declaredThe met department announces a heatwave when the maximum temperature of a place crosses 40 degrees Celsius over the plains; 37 degrees Celsius along the coasts and 35 degrees Celsius in hilly areas. A severe heatwave is declared when the recorded maximum temperature of a locality departure from normal is over 6.4 degrees Celsius, according to a report in The Indian Express.Also, if an area records over 45 degrees and 47 degrees Celsius on any given day, then the IMD declares heatwave and severe heatwave conditions, respectively.Heatwave spells last four to 10 days and the ones in May are longer than those in April and June because of no rainfall.The worst-hit regionsIn the coming days, expect singeing temperatures, especially in east, central, and northwest India.The IMD has sounded a “yellow” alert for Delhi. The national capital recorded the highest temperature of 44.2 degrees Celsius at Siri Fort Complex on Wednesday. On Thursday, the maximum temperatures could touch 43 degrees Celsius and the temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's base station, is also expected to touch 44 degrees Celsius by Friday, the weather office predicted.“Yellow alert in Delhi for the heatwave. There is a possibility of a dust storm in North India on 29 April. The temperature will drop from 1 or 2 May. The eastern region will not see heatwave conditions from April 30,” IMD scientist RK Jenamani told ANI.The most heatwave-prone areas, known as the Core Heatwave Zone, are Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, West Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Vidarbha in Maharashtra, parts of Gangetic West Bengal, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.Most heatwaves in Rajasthan and Madhya PradeshRajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have suffered the most so far with 25 heatwaves.According to IMD, heatwave conditions in isolated pockets are very likely over Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, interior Gangetic West Bengal, interior Odisha and northern parts of Gujarat State."A rise by about 2 degrees Celsius in maximum temperatures very likely over most parts of Northwest India during next three days and fall by about 2 degrees Celsius thereafter,” it added.In Rajasthan, cities like Bharatpur, Jhunjhunu, Karauli will be affected the most in the eastern Rajasthan, and Barmer, Jodhpur, Churu, and Jaisalmer shall be worst-hit in western Rajasthan.The temperature has remained above normal in the different parts of the state with almost all districts touching and crossing the 40 degrees-Celsius mark in all divisions.In Madhya Pradesh, where temperatures touched above 44 degrees Celsius, there’s going to be no respite.[caption id="attachment_10608971" align="alignnone" width="640"] Northwest India this year recorded the hottest March in 122 years. AFP[/caption]Temperatures in Vidarbha, Marathwada above 40 degrees CelsiusThe Vidarbha and Marathwada regions of Maharashtra are gripped by an intense heatwave, the fourth in the last two months.Most places in Vidarbha reported day temperatures over 44 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. The highest maximum temperature across Maharashtra was reported at Bramhapuri at 45.1 degrees Celsius.Maximum temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius are recorded usually in the peak summer months of May in Vidarbha. However, the region saw temperatures soaring 40 degrees Celsius starting in March this year.West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand on yellow alertSince the beginning of March, the eastern states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha have received less rainfall than they usually do during the pre-monsoon season. As a result, the heat has become unbearable. The states have been put on a yellow watch.West Bengal will reel under heatwave conditions over the next three days but can expect some respite from May 1 because of moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal, according to IMD.Searing heatwave engulfed several parts of the Odisha for the third successive day and the maximum temperature breached the 40 degrees-Celsius mark in 24 places, IMD said on Wednesday. As per the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, the mercury shot up to 43 degrees Celsius or more in 11 weather stations, including Subarnapur town where it was 44.5 degrees Celsius, the highest of the season. The weather conditions have forced the state to shut down educational institutions from 27 April. There is no respite for Odisha until 1 May.In Jharkhand, where the temperatures crossed 43 degrees Celsius earlier in the week, scorching conditions will prevail until 29 April.Even Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal hitIn the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the winter capital Jammu recorded its hottest day of the season with the mercury touching 40 degrees Celsius. The soaring temperature has led to power cuts and water crisis in different parts of the Union Territory.Himachal Pradesh has witnessed 21 heatwaves, fewer only than Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.The reason for extreme heatThe usual light-intensity rainfall, hail, and lightning have remained absent by and large over many areas of the country since March. The country’s all-India rainfall ended at minus 70.7 per cent in March, reports The Indian Express. Normally, passing western disturbances – the eastward propagating stream of winds originating from the Mediterranean Sea – interact with moist winds blowing from southern India to trigger thunderstorms. The intermittent light rain and thunder help keep a check on the heat.According to IMD, this time the western disturbances have not been strong enough.In Northwest India this March, the average maximum temperature surpassed the previous record of 30.67 degrees Celsius in 2004. April has been equally stifling with half of the month spent under the heatwave.There’s no immediate respite from the heatwave until May when summer is expected to peak.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.