Weather update: IMD predicts severe heatwave conditions in western India, checkout full forecast

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning of severe hot weather conditions across large parts of the country which are likely to continue for the next five days.

Over the last few days, western part of India has been observing very high temperatures. Areas like Saurashtra, Kutch, Konkan, Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, and parts of Gujarat and Odisha have been experiencing severe heat wave conditions.

Temperatures went up to as much as 41 degrees Celsius in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan, while 38-40-degrees were recorded in and around Vidharbha, Konkan and Goa. Mumbai, Thane and Raigad, also, experienced sweltering heat with temperatures rising up to nearly 40 degrees since Monday.

Maximum temperatures went over normal by 3-6 degrees Celsius in many parts of Punjab, Uttarakhand, Jammu-Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, according to the weather department, no significant change in mercury levels is expected in the next two days, after which they may drop consistently.

The heatwaves across the country act as another reminder that the climate crisis is not some distant possibility but an emergency right now. Scientists around the world with one mind agree that global warming because of man-made causes are increasing the possibility of extreme weather events across the globe.

Heatwaves like this one not only pose health risks, but they also bring down economic output by affecting the number of work hours that can be put in.