Weather Report: Amid surge in COVID cases, heatwave likely to continue in these states of India

Severe heatwave conditions are likely to impact some pockets of the national capital, Haryana, Punjab, south Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Jharkhand till April 20, India Meteorological Department said on Sunday.

The utmost temperatures were well above normal by 3-5 degree Celsius in many areas over Jammu, Punjab, West Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand; in some parts over east Uttar Pradesh, Gangetic West Bengal and in isolated area over Haryana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, east Rajasthan, Saurashtra and Kutch.

Maximum temperatures are likely to increase by 2-3 degrees over northwest India in the next three days and fall by 2-3 degree following that. Heatwaves are also likely over Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha till 20th April.

There is a 90 per cent rain deficiency over northwest India during the pre-monsoon season so far which began on March 1. East Uttar Pradesh has received no rain during the period while west Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi subdivisions logged 99 per cent rain deficiency.

Himachal Pradesh recorded 94 per cent rain deficiency; Jammu and Kashmir 90 per cent; West Rajasthan 81 per cent and east Rajasthan recorded 44 per cent rain deficiency.

The rain deficiency over the nation is 35 per cent, with 27 per cent excess over south peninsula, 14 per cent excess over east and northeast India, 81 per cent deficiency over central India and 90 per cent deficiency over northwest India. As far as states are concerned, Delhi has a 99 per cent rain deficiency.

Although a western disturbance influenced western Himalayas and adjoining pockets of northwest India on 12th April, led to scattered rainfall on April 12 and 13, main parts of northwest India continued to remain dry. Clouding and light winds, however, managed to relieve heatwave conditions in parts of northwest India

Dust storms are likely at isolated areas over west Rajasthan between April 17 and 20 and over east Rajasthan on April 19 and 20.

Between April 11 and 17, there have been 10,615 logs of forest fire points in India, out of which 803 were in Uttarakhand, as per the Forest Survey of India.

“We are expecting heatwave conditions to impact isolated areas of Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh and Punjab from today. But there is a light wind so severe heat wave is unlikely,” said RK Jenamani, senior scientist, national weather forecasting centre, IMD.

Under the influence of a new western disturbance from the night of April 18, light but fairly rife rain is possible over Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh; isolated to scattered rainfall over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during April 19 and 20 and light isolated rainfall over Punjab and north Rajasthan on April 19 and 20 and over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and west UP on April 20 and 21.

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