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NEW DELHI: Brace for an intense summer as India is set to experience hotter-than-usual temperatures between April and June, with a significant increase in heatwave days, particularly in central and eastern regions, and the northwestern plains, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned on Monday.
IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, addressing an online press conference, said that most parts of the country will witness above-normal maximum temperatures, while minimum temperatures will also remain higher than usual across India, barring a few regions.
“From April to June, most parts of north and east India, central India, and the plains of northwest India are expected to experience two to four more heatwave days than normal,” Mohapatra said. He added that India typically experiences four to seven heatwave days during this period, but the coming summer is likely to bring nearly double that number in several regions.
An IMD official had previously warned that northwest India could encounter up to double the usual number of heatwave days this summer. Regions that typically record five to six heatwave days may see a significant surge.
The states expected to bear the brunt of the heat include Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of northern Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
In April, most parts of the country will likely witness higher-than-normal maximum temperatures, with only a few regions in the extreme southern and northwestern parts expected to experience near-normal conditions.
Mohapatra also noted that minimum temperatures will also remain above average in most regions. However, a few places in the northwest and northeast may witness normal or slightly below-normal temperatures, he added.
With rising temperatures, experts have sounded the alarm on an anticipated surge in electricity demand, which is expected to grow by 9 to 10 per cent during the summer.
Last year, India’s peak electricity demand hit 250 gigawatts (GW) on May 30 – a 6.3 per cent rise over projections.
