India's Met Department warns of 'double heatwave'. What is it?

It's the onset of summer, and the mercury levels have not been sparing. With that, the Indian Met Department also already issued warnings of an unusually hot summer season; the forecast so far suggests a double heatwave.

IMD scientist Soma Sen Roy, while speaking to news agency ANI, explained, "We are expecting slightly above normal heatwave conditions, especially over West and Central India. Generally, Northwest India sees around 5 to 6 heatwave days. This year, we expect 10 to 12 days, which is double the normal."

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Clarifying, she added that not all the days may be exceptionally hot or see temperatures exceed the average estimate. Daily forecasts may help understand the situation better.

What is a double heatwave?

In comparison to the previous year's data, the heatwave days have doubled. The forecast suggests 10 to 12 days, which is twice as much as the data i.e. 5 to 6 days.

In a latest release, IMD mentions, "During the upcoming hot weather season (March to May), above-normal maximum temperatures are most likely over most parts of the country, except over southern parts of Peninsular India and isolated pockets of Northeast India where normal to below-normal maximum temperatures are likely."

Further added, "Monthly maximum temperatures for March 2025 are likely to be above normal over most parts of India, except over some southernmost parts of Peninsular India, where below normal maximum temperatures are likely."

Residents of Delhi NCR have also spoken of the rising temperature. Kritika Jain, an engineer working in Delhi NCR, said, "Winters felt like a breeze this year. We rarely used the heaters, though I was bracing for a harsh season. But looks like the summer won't spare us."