As the southwest monsoon finally made its entrance in Kerala on Thursday, its most-delayed arrival in seven years, certain parts of India are now grappling with scorching heatwave conditions.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued warnings that several regions would be affected in the coming days with the heat wave.
It forecasts that Bihar will experience heatwave to severe heatwave conditions from June 8 to 12, while Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand are expected to endure similar conditions from June 8 to 11.A
“Additionally, Odisha and the sub-Himalayan West Bengal region will likely face heatwave conditions during June 8-10. Telangana will experience high temperatures on June 8 and 9, while parts of Uttar Pradesh will persist with heatwave conditions until June 11,” the IMD said.
Amidst this heatwave, southwest monsoon has advanced into remaining parts of south Arabian Sea and some parts of central Arabian Sea, entire Lakshadweep area, Kerala, parts of Tamil Nadu, remaining parts of Gulf of Comorin area, Gulf of Mannar and Bay of Bengal on Thursday.
“Southwest Monsoon has set in over Kerala today,” said the IMD.
“Conditions are favourable for further advance of Southwest monsoon into some more parts of central Arabian Sea, remaining parts of Kerala, some more parts of Tamil Nadu, some parts of Karnataka and some more parts of southwest, Central and northeast Bay of Bengal and some parts of northeastern states during next 48 hours,” it said.
Meanwhile, a senior official of IMD said that temperatures in northwest India are likely to rise, reaching as high as 40-42 degree Celsius.
“However, no heatwave conditions are anticipated in the region for the next four to five days. In contrast, east India and adjoining areas of northwest India, such as east Uttar Pradesh, are currently experiencing heatwave conditions.
While eastern India grapples with extreme heat, other parts of the country have encountered unexpected hailstorms and excessive rainfall.
The IMD also issued a warning on Thursday, cautioning about isolated hailstorms in Uttarakhand on June 11 and 12.
Meteorologists attribute the unusual surplus of rainfall and below-normal temperatures during the pre-monsoon season (March to May) to an increased frequency of western disturbances.
These weather systems originate in the Mediterranean region and bring untimely rain to northwest India.
Meanwhile, the western coast of India is bracing itself for heavy rainfall over the upcoming weekend as Cyclone Biparjoy intensifies. Previously, meteorologists had mentioned that the cyclone was influencing the intensity of the monsoon, leading to a “mild” onset over Kerala.
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