A severe heatwave has gripped India, with temperatures soaring to record levels and leaving hundreds of millions of people sweltering. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heatwave alert, warning that the ongoing heatwave spell in east and south peninsular India will continue until May 5-7 and abate thereafter.
HEATWAVE ALERT ISSUED FOR THESE STATES
As per the weather department, heat wave conditions have been predicted over Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Rayalaseema, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry & Karaikal and interior Karnataka today i.e. on May 4.
TEMPERATURES SOAR TO 46.3 DEGREES CELSIUS
"Maximum temperatures settled in the range of 43-46 degrees Celsius in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra and 40-43 degrees in parts of Gangetic West Bengal, Marathwada and north interior Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat," the IMD bulletin read on Friday.
Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh sizzled at 46.3 degrees Celsius, the highest maximum temperature in the country on Friday.
The mercury settled at 44.6 degrees Celsius in Odisha's Boudh, 45 degrees in Khammam (Telangana), 46.2 degrees in Cuddapah (Andhra Pradesh), 43.4 degrees in Erode (Tamil Nadu), and 44.6 degrees in West Bengal's Kalaikunda.
Government agencies and some states have issued health warnings, with some schools suspending in-person classes. The heatwave has already broken records, with April seeing the highest maximum temperatures in eastern, northeastern, and southern India.
IMD data shows that heat waves this April were far worse than in 2023, the warmest year on record so far.
ORANGE ALERT FOR HEAVY RAINS IN NORTH EAST INDIA
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rains in North East India on May 5 and 6.
Arunachal Pradesh is likely to receive isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall (115.5-204.4mm) on May 5, while Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura will receive isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall (115.5-204.4mm) on May 5 and 6. The weather office has also predicted heavy rains in Assam and Meghalaya (115.5-204.4mm) on May 5 and 6.
THUNDERSTORMS AND LIGHTNING ALERT
Moreover, isolated to scattered light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning has been predicted over Jammu-Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh from May 3 to 5.
Isolated to scattered light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms & lightning likely over East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand during 6th-9th May.
