Heatwave in India: March was 'hottest in 122 years', situation likely to continue
Severe heatwave in India
Parts of north India have been reporting heatwaves as people are struggling amid rising temperatures. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that on Monday (April 4), parts of Delhi sweltered under a heatwave with the maximum temperature hovering above the 40-degree mark at four places.
The Safdarjung observatory, which is considered the official marker for the national capital, recorded a maximum temperature of 38.1 degrees Celsius, five notches above normal. The minimum temperature settled at 19 degrees Celsius.
Warmest March in 122 years
On Saturday (April 1), IMD said that India recorded its warmest March in 122 years with a severe heatwave scorching large swathes of the country during the month.
In March 2010, the country had recorded a maximum temperature of 33.09 degrees Celsius. As per the department, the country's average mean temperature of 26.67 degrees Celsius in March was the second-highest after 26.671 degrees Celsius recorded in March 2010.
The countrywide average minimum temperature of 20.24 degrees Celsius in March this year was the third-highest in 122 years after 20.26 degrees Celsius in 1953 and 20.25 degrees Celsius in 2010.
Lack of rainfall
The weather department attributed the unusual heat to the lack of rainfall due to the absence of active western disturbances over north India and any major system over south India.
The country as a whole recorded a rainfall of 8.9 mm, which was 71 per cent less than its long period average rainfall of 30.4 mm. It was also the third-lowest precipitation in March since 1901 after 7.2 mm in 1909 and 8.7 mm in 1908.
"Over the country as a whole, the average maximum temperature (33.10 degrees Celsius) recorded in March 2022 is the highest ever in the last 122 years," the IMD said in a statement.
Situation likely to persist
The IMD said the heatwave spell is likely to continue over Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh over the next two to four days.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is predicted over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya from April 2 to April 4 with isolated extremely heavy rainfall over Meghalaya over the next two days.
Rainfall predicted
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is predicted over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya from April 2 to April 4 with isolated extremely heavy rainfall over Meghalaya over the next two days.
Alert issued in some parts of country
IMD on April 4 said that the heatwave conditions are likely to prevail for the next five days in several parts of Rajasthan, a state in northern India.
Most of the places across the state are recording maximum temperatures of 4 to 6 degrees Celsius more than the season's average, a spokesperson of the IMD said.
The department has sounded yellow and orange alert in parts of eastern and western Rajasthan where heatwave conditions are likely to prevail for the next five days.
The MeT department said that severe heatwave conditions are likely in Barmer, Jaisalmer, Jalore, and Jodhpur districts.
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