Brief respite from heatwave likely in next 3 days, Delhi may see rain today
The intensity of the scorching heatwave conditions in northwest, central and east India is likely to see a reduction over the next three days with rainfall predicted in these regions, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The maximum temperatures on Sunday fell by 3-4 degrees Celsius in some parts of East Madhya Pradesh, by 2-3 degrees Celsius in some parts of interior Odisha, Vidarbha and Punjab and by 1-2 degrees Celsius in some parts of Haryana, West Uttar Pradesh, West Madhya Pradesh and East Rajasthan.
Despite a slight dip, the maximum temperatures hovered between 43-45 degrees Celsius in some parts of north Rajasthan, south Haryana, north Madhya Pradesh and southeast Madhya Pradesh, and in the range of 41-43 degrees Celsius in many parts of Punjab, remaining parts of Haryana, Delhi, south Rajasthan, some parts of west Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Telangana and south interior Odisha.
On Sunday, Delhi’s Safdarjung weather station, considered the official benchmark, recorded a maximum temperature of 42.8 degrees Celsius, 2.8 degrees above the season’s average. The minimum temperature was 30.4 degrees Celsius, 3.5 degrees above the season’s average, the IMD said.
The weather office has predicted thunderstorms with rain in the national capital on June 3 and June 4 and the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be 45 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius, respectively, on both days.
In neighbouring Rajasthan, light rain with thundershowers was experienced in parts of Rajasthan. The weather department has predicted more light to moderate rain in parts of Bikaner, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Ajmer and Jodhpur divisions.
Jaipur MeT department Director Radheshyam Sharma said the maximum temperature will settle below 45 degrees Celsius in the coming days and relief from the heat wave was expected. Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh was the hottest in the country with a maximum temperature of 46.2 degrees Celsius.
Sirsa in Haryana and Ganganagar in Rajasthan sizzled at 45.4 degrees Celsius, followed by Jhansi and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, which recorded 45.2 degrees Celsius each. Prithvipur in Madhya Pradesh and Bhiwani in Haryana recorded 45.1 degrees each.
According to the IMD, hot and humid weather was very likely to prevail in isolated pockets of Bihar on June 2-4, Konkan and Goa on June 2-3 and Odisha on June 5-6.
RAINFALL FORECAST AND MONSOON ADVANCEMENT
Meanwhile, the Southwest Monsoon advanced into the remaining parts of the Lakshadweep area, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, some parts of Karnataka, Rayalaseema and Andhra Pradesh, the IMD said. Conditions were favourable for the further advancement of the Southwest Monsoon into some more parts of Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra Pradesh during the next three days.
Isolated very light to light rainfall with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) was very likely in Punjab and Haryana on June 3-6, Uttar Pradesh till June 5, and Rajasthan on June 3, the weather office said.
Isolated to scattered light rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) was possible in Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during the next five days.
The Met Department predicted scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) in Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal on June 3-6. Isolated or scattered light/moderate rainfall was predicted in Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh, Konkan and Goa, Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada during the next five days.
In the east and northeast, fairly widespread to widespread light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) was likely in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during the next seven days, the IMD said.