A sluggish southwest monsoon on Wednesday covered large parts of Maharashtra, while the wait for a fresh pulse for the rains to march across central and northern India, which continues to reel under intense heat conditions, seems to be longer than expected.
While rain-related incidents have claimed lives of 14 people in Marathwada region of Maharashtra since June 1, unbearably high temperatures amid heatwave conditions in parts of North India have also affected the daily life of residents, with power cuts and water shortage being reported from several cities.
A sluggish southwest monsoon on Wednesday covered large parts of Maharashtra, while the wait for a fresh pulse for the rains to march across central and northern India, which continues to reel under intense heat conditions, seems to be longer than expected.
Monsoon To Cover Andhra, Odisha In 3-4 Days: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said monsoon could cover Odisha, coastal Andhra Pradesh and north-west Bay of Bengal during the next three to four days. "The Bay of Bengal arm of the monsoon is weak and is awaiting a fresh pulse to take it forward," an official said.
Heatwave Continues In North India: Heatwave conditions were observed on Wednesday in most parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand; in many parts of north Rajasthan; in some parts of Himachal Pradesh, south Bihar, north Odisha and in isolated pockets of Gangetic West Bengal. Severe heatwave conditions were also observed in isolated pockets of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand and Gangetic West Bengal.
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45-47 Deg Celsius In Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan: The maximum temperatures on Wednesday were in the range of 45-47 degrees Celsius over some parts of west Jharkhand, south Uttar Pradesh, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Punjab, north Rajasthan. The highest maximum temperature of 47.5 degrees was reported at Kanpur IAF in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Monsoon Onset Over North India Delayed: Weatherpersons said the low-level warm winds from the northwest were dominating the weak monsoon pulse over the Bay of Bengal and prolonging the hot weather conditions in parts of central and northern India. Former Earth Sciences secretary Madhavan Rajeevan said after a normal progress, monsoon is going into a hiatus mode. "Not much progress is expected in the next 8-10 days, thus delaying onset over north India. This causes extreme temperatures & heat waves over north India, including Delhi, UP and Bihar," Rajeevan said on X.
14 Dead In Maha's Marathwada Region: Meanwhile, the Southwest monsoon has covered large parts of Maharashtra, where rain-related incidents have claimed the lives of 14 persons in the Marathwada region since June 1, with 11 of these deaths caused by lightning strikes, officials said on Wednesday. The Marathwada region comprises the districts of Aurangabad (now Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar), Osmanabad (now Dharashiv), Jalna, Beed, Latur, Nanded, Hingoli and Parbhani.
School Timings Changed In Bengal: The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education on Wednesday asked state-run and state-aided educational institutions to change school hours due to scorching heat in most parts of the state. Cities and districts of south Bengal, including North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Purnba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, Purba Badhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, Murshidabad, and Nadia, have been experiencing hot and humid weather with temperatures ranging between 35 and 40 degree Celsius.