Heatwaves have continued to burn central and northern states even as the southwest monsoon stretches its abundant arms around the south and northeast India. Fortunately, estimates indicate that central and northwest India will see a brief break from the heat. Maximum temperatures are expected to dip by 2-3°C for the next five days from northern Gujarat to western Rajasthan to southern Punjab.
Despite the temperature drop, evening minimums in Northern and Central India will remain warmer than normal for the next five days. Rajasthan is expected to bear the brunt of these circumstances on Thursday, with the mercury expected to reach 45°C.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) expects that isolated sections of these states would experience heatwave conditions:
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On Thursday and Friday, the provinces of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, south Uttar Pradesh, northwest Rajasthan, north Madhya Pradesh, inland Odisha, and Jharkhand will see intense heatwave.
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On Thursday, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh's south coast, Telangana, and Vidarbha will see an intense heatwave.
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On Saturday, Jharkhand will again see an intense heatwave.
For FRiday, the entire city of Delhi has been placed under a heatwave yellow watch (which means 'be updated'). While residents of the city are set to confront scorching conditions with high surface winds and temperatures near 44°C, temperatures have already begun to decline.
According to the IMD, the temperature will drop to 43°C tomorrow and then to 41°C for the next three days.
On Wednesday, the maximum temperature in the Union Territory was 45.2°C, which was 5° warmer than typical. Meanwhile, the maximum temperature in the entire northwest region was recorded yesterday at Ganganagar, West Rajasthan, at 46.2°C.
Over the weekend, a much-needed rainy break will arrive in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, with lightning-strewn thunderstorms expected in isolated locations. According to IMD forecasts, this breath of fresh and wet air will arrive even sooner in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, possibly as early as Friday.
The monsoon season in Central India begins about June 10-15, according to the IMD. The monsoon season in Central India begins about June 10-15, according to the IMD. This does not appear to be the case this year, since the rainy phenomenon's northern boundary remains well away from the region, even though it has slowed since reaching landfall.
It's vital to take the required precautions amid such hot weather in the northwest states. During this season, the elderly and those with pre-existing morbidities should take special precautions to avoid dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and strokes.
