North, northwest India battle intense heatwave; IMD issues red alert for Delhi

Intense heatwave swept through large parts of northwest India with the maximum temperature in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj touching 47.6 degrees Celsius while Ladakh’s Nubra, nestled in the high Himalayas, recorded 26.2 degrees. A red alert has been issued in Delhi with mercury breaching the 45 degrees Celsius-mark.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said maximum temperatures were markedly above normal (5.1 degrees Celsius or more) at most places in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar.

The weather office predicts heatwave conditions to persist over many parts of north India over the next two days. The IMD has also forecast heavy rains in sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya over the next three days.

“A cyclonic circulation lies over northeast Assam and north-south trough runs from north Bihar to southern parts of Gangetic West Bengal in lower tropospheric levels,” the IMD said in its latest bulletin.

Red alert in Delhi

The national capital recorded maximum temperatures in excess of 45 degrees Celsius, seven notches higher than normal for the season, in the absence of thunderstorms and rainfall triggered by extra tropical weather systems called western disturbances.

The minimum temperature recorded in Delhi was 33.8 degrees Celsius, six notches above the season's average.

The weather department has predicted mainly clear sky and heatwave to severe heatwave conditions and strong surface winds.

The IMD has issued a red alert for Delhi. The IMD uses four colour codes for weather warnings – green (no action needed), yellow (watch and stay updated), orange (be prepared) and red (take action).

According to the IMD's seven-day forecast, the national capital will experience slight relief from June 19.

After Wednesday, a fresh western disturbance will approach northwest India, also affecting the national capital and bringing relief, according to the weather office.

Northern cities simmer under heatwave

Dehradun in Uttarakhand recorded a maximum temperature of 43.1 degrees Celsius, which was 9.5 notches above normal for the season, while Una in Himachal Pradesh recorded 44 degrees – 6.7 notches above average.

In Jammu and Kashmir, Katra recorded a maximum temperature of 40.8 degrees Celsius, which was 5.7 notches above normal, while the mercury touched a high of 44.3 degrees in Jammu.

Daltonganj in Jharkhand recorded a maximum temperature of 46 degrees Celsius, which was 9.1 notches above normal.

The threshold for a heat wave is met when the maximum temperature of a weather station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees in the coastal areas, and 30 degrees in the hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 notches.

A severe heat wave is declared if the departure from normal exceeds 6.4 notches.

Blistering heat in Punjab, Haryana

The weather office has forecast no change in maximum temperatures over northwest India during the next 24 hours. The temperatures are expected to fall by 2 degrees Celsius thereafter.

Central and eastern India will continue to reel from high temperatures for the next three days and expect some respite thereafter.

There was no let up in the ongoing heatwave conditions sweeping Punjab and Haryana for the last several days, with Bathinda reeling at 46.9 degrees Celsius.

While blistering heat swept Bathinda in Punjab, Pindara in Haryana's Jind district also recorded a maximum temperature of 46.9 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest place in the state.

Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a maximum temperature of 44.5 degrees Celsius, according to the local Met centre.

Faridkot in Punjab was also under the grip of severe heat at 46 degrees Celsius while Pathankot recorded a high of 45.8 degrees.

The maximum temperature in Amritsar was recorded at 45.8 degrees Celsius, Ludhiana at 44.6 degrees, Patiala at 45.4 degrees, Gurdaspur at 45 degrees and Ferozepur at 44.3 degrees.

In Haryana, intense heat scorched Faridabad and Sirsa, which recorded maximum temperatures of 46.6 degrees Celsius and 46.2 degrees, respectively.

Mahendragarh recorded a high of 45.2 degrees Celsius while Hisar registered 45.7 degrees.

Hot weather conditions also prevailed in Gurugram and Kurukshetra, where the maximum temperatures were recorded at 45.1 degrees Celsius and 44.5 degrees, respectively, the Met office said.

Rohtak sizzled at 46.2 degrees Celsius while Ambala and Karnal registered maximum temperatures of 44.8 degrees Celsius and 43.8 degrees, respectively.

Rajasthan sizzles at 46.2 degrees Celsius

Heatwave conditions intensified in Rajasthan on Monday, with several places recording maximum temperatures one to six notches higher than the previous day.

A spokesperson for the Jaipur Meteorological Centre said Ganganagar was the hottest place in the state with a high of 46.2 degrees Celsius, 4.9 notches above normal.

The maximum temperature in Pilani was 45.9 degrees Celsius, 6.5 notches above normal.

Churu and Karauli recorded highs of 45.4 degrees Celsius each, Dholpur 44.9 degrees, Alwar 44.8 degrees, Bikaner 44.3 degrees, and Bharatpur and Phalodi 44 degrees each.

The mercury crossed the 40 degrees Celsius mark in several other major cities.

The Met official said the minimum temperature in most places of the state was recorded 2 to 8.1 notches above normal.

The night temperature in major cities was noted between 28.6 and 37 degrees Celsius, he added.

Alwar recorded a low of 37 degrees Celsius, 4.9 notches above normal, while Phalodi registered a minimum temperature of 34.6 degrees, which was 8.1 notches above average.

Rains play havoc in Assam, Sikkim

Meanwhile rains have lashed several parts of India, especially the northeast states.

While Assam, threatened by rains and rising levels in the Brahmaputra river is staring at a flood situation, Sikkim is witnessing rain-induced landslides.

As many as 64 tourists stranded in North Sikkim due to landslides were rescued on Monday (June 17) and relocated to Mangan town.

Incessant rains in the state has made access to Mangan difficult, leaving around 1,200 tourists stranded in Lachung. The rescue operation which was halted on Monday, will be resumed on Tuesday.

Rains in the intervening night of June 17 and 18 in Chennai provided a much-needed respite from the heat to residents. However, international and domestic flights were disrupted while trees were uprooted in certain stretches of the city.

Heatwave to persist

According to IMD, the heatwave will persist in many parts of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi and in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh and Bihar on Tuesday and Wednesday (June 19).

The IMD has predicted heatwave conditions in isolated areas of Jammu and Kashmir, north Madhya Pradesh, and north coastal Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday. While northern Rajasthan will experience heatwave conditions on both Tuesday and Wednesday, hot and humid weather is predicted to prevail in Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand on the said days.

Rainfall predicted in East, Northeast India

The weathermen, however, predict slight relief for the north-eastern states. According to IMD, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim will experience widespread light to moderate rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 30-40 kmph over the next five days.

Similarly, rains are predicted in Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha in the next two days. Heavy rains in isolated parts of Odisha is expected on June 20 and 21.