Severe heat wave conditions prevail in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra; warning issued for next few days

Intense heat wave conditions swept across parts of North India including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab and Haryana on Tuesday with maximum temperature crossing 45 degrees Celsius at some places. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued heatwave warning for the next five days for several states.

The highest maximum temperature on Tuesday was recorded was 45.8C at Phalodi (west Rajasthan), Khargaon (east Madhya Pradesh) and Wardha (Vidarbha). 

Punjab, Haryana

Intense heat wave conditions swept most parts of Haryana and Punjab with Hisar and Chandigarh sizzling at a high of 45.5 and 43 degrees Celsius respectively.

Hisar in Haryana was the hottest place in the two states, the Met Department said.

Among other places in Haryana, Narnaul sizzled at a high of 45.3 degrees Celsius, four notches above the normal. Bhiwani, too, had a very hot day at 44.8 degrees Celsius.

Karnal and Ambala reeled under severe heat wave conditions, recording maximum temperatures of 44 and 43.3 degrees Celsius respectively.
In Punjab, Patiala had a hot day at 44 degrees Celsius, up by five notches against normal limits.

Ludhiana, too, experienced the hot weather at 43 degrees Celsius, up by four notches while Amritsar's maximum settled at 41.5 degrees Celsius. 

Warning: According to the Met forecast, heat wave conditions are likely to continue at isolated places in Haryana and Punjab on Wednesday and Thursday. 

Rajasthan

Severe heat wave conditions prevailed in most parts of Rajasthan, with Churu remaining the hottest where maximum temperature was recorded at 45.5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, a MeT official said.

Kota, Bikaner and Barmer recorded 45.4, 45.2, 45.1 degrees Celsius followed by Sriganganagar, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Ajmer where maximum temperature was recorded at 44.6, 44.3, 44.1 and 44 degrees Celsius respectively. 

Pilani and Jaisalmer recorded 43.2 and 43 degrees Celsius whereas Dabok recorded 42.2 degrees Celsius. 

The minimum temperature hovered between 25 and 31 degrees Celsius in most of the cities of the state, the official said. 

Warning: The MeT department has warned of heat wave conditions with dust storm/thunderstorm at isolated places in the state in on Wednesday hours. 

Himachal Pradesh

Several places across Himachal Pradesh recorded the hottest day of the season with Una in the Shivalik foothills registering a high of 42.3 degrees Celsius, five degrees above normal. 

Sundernagar, Nahan and Bhuntar on the mid hills were warmer with the day temperatures at 39.3 degrees Celsius, 37.9 degrees Celsius and 37 degrees Celsius, four degrees above normal.

The mercury rose marginally in the tribal areas and the higher hills and Keylong and Kalpa in the tribal districts of Lahaul and Spiti recorded the maximum temperature at 18.9 degrees Celsius and 22 degrees Celsius while Manali recorded a high of 25.2 degrees Celsius, followed by Dharamsala 31.6 degrees Celsius, Palampur 32 degrees Celsius and Solan 34 degrees Celsius.

There was a marginal increase in the night temperatures and Keylong, Manali and Kalpa recorded a low of 6.4 degrees Celsius, 7.2 degrees Celsius and 8.4 degrees Celsius. Nahan was the hottest during the night with a low of 25.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Dharamsala 20.6 degrees Celsius, Una 19.5 degrees Celsius, Palampur 18.5 degrees Celsius, Shimla 18 degrees Celsius and Solan 16.3 degrees Celsius.

Warning: The local Meteorological (MeT) office has forecast further rise in the temperature due to dry weather during the next six days that might intensify the heat wave conditions in the lower hills reeling under scorching sun.

Other parts 

Parts of Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra and Gujarat too suffered heat wave conditions with temperature crossing normal mark. 

Heat wave conditions prevailed in some parts of Vidarbha. Day temperatures were markedly above normal in some parts of Madhya Maharashtra, IMD said. Temperature was appreciably above normal in some parts of Assam and Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Saurashtra and Kutch, Konkan and Goa and of Marathwada and in remaining parts of Vidarbha.

It was also above normal in some parts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat Region, Telangana and of north interior Karnataka, and in remaining parts of east Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Saurashtra and Kutch and of Madhya Maharashtra. 

Warning: Heat wave conditions very likely at some parts with severe heat wave at one or two pockets over Vidarbha and heat wave conditions at one or two pockets over Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

“Most parts of central India are right now affected. Several parts of Vidarbha, have been seeing maximum temperatures of above 45 degree Celsius and this is likely to continue and the local officials have too been alerted. Such high temperatures are a common features around this time,” said an IMD official.   

Skymet a private weather forecast agency too on its portal informed that since there isn’t any significant weather activity over Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh, South Rajasthan for the next 4-5 days, some more areas of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are expected to witness heatwave conditions. “Although isolated pre-monsoon active may occur over east Vidarbha during next 24-48 hours, it will not have any significant effect over the temperatures thus one cannot expect any relief from the ongoing hot weather conditions for next many days,” its report said.

Situation in neighbouring Gujarat too seems similar as with changes in the direction of winds the hot air is likely to increase the temperatures at several locations.  

(With PTI inputs)