Odisha sees 45.2 degrees; IMD alerts for these states

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued an orange alert (heatwave) for Odisha and West Bengal for the next two days, while a yellow alert was issued for Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu for the next five days amid scorching heat across in several states.

According to the weather agency, heatwave to severe heatwave conditions gripped Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Gangetic West Bengal on Saturday. However, the first spell of intense heatwave scorched parts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat.

High temperatures

Several parts of Odisha reeled under a severe heatwave on Saturday with Boudh in western Odisha and Baripada in the northern region being the hottest places recording a maximum temperature of 45.2 degrees Celsius, while the mercury breached the 43-degree-mark at 10 places in the states. On Friday, the state reported its first death due to sunstroke in Balasore district.

In West Bengal, Midnapore and Bankura sizzled at 44.5 and 44.6 degrees Celsius, respectively. Similarly, Daltonganj and Jamshedpur in Jharkhand witnessed maximum temperatures at 43.6 and 43.5 degrees Celsius, respectively. Meanwhile, Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh touched 43 degrees Celsius.

In the wake of the intense heatwave in Bihar, the district administration of Patna has changed the timings of schools from Saturday. The Met Department said mercury breached the 42-degree-mark in at least 11 places in the state. The scorching heat will continue in several parts of Bihar in the next few days, it added.

Uttar Pradesh is almost in the grip of a heatwave, with maximum temperature in several cities recorded above 40 degree Celsius. Prayagraj was hottest in the state where day temperature soared to 43.6°C, which was 3.7 degrees above normal.

IMD forecast for heatwave

The weather agency has predicted an increase in heatwave days across the country, with April expecting four to eight days unlike the normal one to three days. The country is also likely to witness 10-20 heatwave days, with certain regions facing over 20 days of scorching conditions.

The areas predicted to see more heatwave days are Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Maharashtra, Vidarbha, Marathwada, Bihar, and Jharkhand.

The intense heat could strain power grids and result in water shortages in several parts of the country. Global weather agencies, including the IMD, are also expecting La Nina conditions to develop later in the year.

As per the forecast, the weather is most likely to remain dry over the state of Uttar Pradesh. Strong surface winds (25-35Kmph) are very likely at isolated places over east UP. The Met department has issued a warning of a warm night at isolated places over east UP.

Meanwhile, in the national capital, the daytime temperature is likely to touch 40 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, predicted the weather agency. The highest maximum recorded this season at Safdarjung was 39.4°C on April 12 and then again on April 19.

The Met department also forecasted “hot and humid” weather over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal and Kerala and Mahe during 20-24 April.

Concerns amid elections:

With the searing weather conditions engulfing the parts of India, the concerns arise during the April-June period, coinciding with India’s general elections. The

The IMD had earlier warned of extreme heat conditions during the period when around 97 crore eligible voters across the nation are expected to exercise their franchise, heightening concerns about vulnerability to heatwaves.

IMD forecast for rain:

However, the higher reaches in Himachal Pradesh received snowfall and rain lashed mid and lower hills, blocking 104 roads and three national highways on Saturday. Shimla and its surrounding areas received intermittent rain accompanied by lightning and the sky remained heavily overcast.

As many as 104 roads, including 99 in Lahaul and Spiti, were closed due to snowfall, according to the state emergency operation centre.

The local meteorological station has issued a yellow warning of thunderstorms at isolated places on April 22 and 23. It has forecast rain in mid hills and rain and snowfall in higher reaches for the next six days from April 21 to April 26 as a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from April 22.