IMD warns of above-normal heatwave days in northern, western India this year

New Delhi, Apr 21 (PTI) Northern parts of the Indo-Gangetic plains, the eastern coastal states, the western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, and adjoining areas will have a higher-than-normal number of heatwave days this year, a top official at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.

Speaking to PTI Videos, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of IMD, highlighted that there are climatologically prone areas (regions historically susceptible to extreme weather events) where temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius, even in regions that may not experience heatwaves.

"There are climatologically prone areas -- for example, the normal temperature in the Vidarbha region (Maharashtra) is around 41 to 42 degrees Celsius at this time of year. Similarly, the normal temperature in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana touches 40 to 44 degrees Celsius towards the month of May,” he said.

“Therefore, we should be prepared for such high-temperature days," he added.

When asked what measures IMD has been taking to help the vulnerable population, the IMD chief said that apart from setting up WhatsApp groups to circulate information among outdoor workers, such as street vendors and labourers working in fields, display boards were also put up indicating the occurrence of heat and the expected actions to be taken.

“The objective is to reach out to everyone and provide the forecast information generated by IMD. We provide information through government channels, including the Common Alert Protocol of the National Disaster Management Authority, which enables any person with a mobile phone to access the information,” Mohapatra said.

He noted that there are certain sectors where people may or may not have access to mobile phones or immediate access to IMD alerts, adding that there is still scope to reach out to such people affected by heat through innovative or traditional means.

Referring to an example he cited during his speech at the Global Heat and Cooling Forum on Monday, the IMD chief said, “Associations of rickshaw pullers, street vendors, and domestic workers met us in Delhi last year, and requested information. We provided it through WhatsApp to their association secretaries, who then communicated it to their members. Display boards were also put up, indicating the occurrence of heat and the expected actions to be taken.” According to Mohapatra, higher temperatures are expected every year, especially in April and May, and the period before the advance of monsoon (June), even though there can be certain variations from year to year.

To address the yearly and daily variations in temperatures, the IMD provides the heatwave outlook one season in advance, followed by the extended range outlook valid for the next four weeks every Thursday.

A seven-day warning is also provided every day at the district level during the summer months.

The IMD issued its first heatwave outlook and summer temperature outlook for March, April and May by the end of February, which was updated for April, May and June on the last day of March.

As per the forecast, heatwave conditions are expected from April to June in many places, especially in regions such as the southern parts of West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, and adjoining areas like Chhattisgarh and Telangana in the east.

Heatwave conditions are also expected in the Indo-Gangetic plains, including Haryana, UP, Bihar and Jharkhand, southern parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, some areas within Gujarat, and portions of northern Maharashtra, the weather department said. PTI