North India is poised to get relief from the severe heatwave conditions starting Wednesday, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). A red alert remains in place for the next 24 hours due to the ongoing heatwave, but temperatures are expected to gradually decline thereafter as western disturbances approach Northwest India.
The IMD has forecast that the monsoon’s progression will bring heavy to very heavy rainfall, with isolated instances of extremely heavy falls over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Assam-Meghalaya in the coming two days. This shift in weather is expected to alleviate the intense heat currently gripping several parts of North India.
On Monday, Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh recorded a staggering temperature of 47.6°C, the highest in the country on June 17. Severe heatwave conditions were prevalent across Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Bihar, northern Madhya Pradesh, and isolated pockets of Odisha. Delhi’s power demand surged to an all-time high of 8,646 MW at 3:21 PM on Tuesday amid the scorching heat.
The IMD has issued a series of alerts:
Red Alert: Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Bihar on June 18, and Uttar Pradesh from June 18 to 20.
Orange Alert: Himachal Pradesh on June 18, north Madhya Pradesh on June 18 and 19, Uttar Pradesh on June 21 and 22, and Jharkhand on June 18.
Yellow Alert: Jammu division and north Coastal Andhra Pradesh on June 18, north Rajasthan on June 18 and 19, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand on June 19.
The maximum temperatures on June 17 ranged from 44-46°C across most of the North Indian plains, which were 5-8°C above normal for this time of year.
Conditions are favorable for the further advancement of the Southwest Monsoon into additional regions including parts of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Northwest Bay of Bengal, Gangetic West Bengal, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand over the next three to four days.
On Monday, Meghalaya experienced heavy rainfall, while heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy falls were reported in isolated areas over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Bihar. Scattered rainfall occurred in Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Konkan & Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Telangana, South Interior Karnataka, and Rayalaseema.
The IMD has warned of a cyclonic circulation over northeast Assam at lower tropospheric levels, and strong southwesterly/southerly winds are impacting northeast India. Widespread light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) are expected over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam & Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura, and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal over the next five days.
Additionally, cyclonic circulations over the Northeast Arabian Sea adjoining Saurashtra and Westcentral Bay of Bengal adjoining Coastal Andhra Pradesh are expected to bring scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning over Gujarat, Konkan & Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, and Marathwada in the next five days.
