It is that time of year again. The Sun is merciless, the air is thick, and stepping outside feels like walking into a furnace.
Across large parts of India, Sunday is shaping up to be a brutal day, and the forecast for the week ahead offers precious little comfort.
IS INDIA HEADING INTO A DANGEROUS HEAT SPELL?
Not everywhere, but close enough to matter. Isolated pockets of extreme heat are gripping parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Vidarbha, where temperatures are already touching 40 to 45 degrees Celsius.
A heatwave, as defined by the India Meteorological Department, is declared when temperatures rise at least 4.5 degrees Celsius above what is normal for that region, and that bar is being crossed in several places right now.
WHERE IS IT THE HOTTEST TODAY?
The worst-hit zones this week are Vidarbha in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and pockets of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
The east coast, which includes Odisha, coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, is battling a particularly punishing combination of heat and humidity.
When humidity is high, sweat cannot evaporate easily from the skin, which means the body struggles to cool itself down.
The result: conditions that feel far more dangerous than the thermometer alone suggests.
WILL THERE BE ANY RAIN THIS WEEK?
Some, but not enough to matter for most of the country. A feeble Western Disturbance is currently brushing past the northern plains.
A Western Disturbance is a weather system that originates over the Mediterranean Sea and travels eastward, typically carrying winter rain to northern India.
When it is weak, as it is now, it brings little more than partial cloud cover and the occasional isolated shower, not the widespread relief millions are hoping for.
Isolated thunderstorms may develop by evening over Punjab, northern Rajasthan, and western Haryana, but Delhi and most of the northern plains are unlikely to see anything significant.
WHICH PART OF INDIA GETS RELIEF FIRST?
Southern India fares better. Intense thunderstorm activity is expected across southern Maharashtra, north Karnataka, and Telangana over the next 72 hours, bringing some much-needed respite.
The northeast, too, will see scattered thunderstorms and light to moderate rainfall over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.
HOW LONG WILL THIS HEAT LAST?
The heat will last through at least April 22, according to the IMD. Extreme heat conditions are expected to persist in east Rajasthan and Odisha until April 22, in Jharkhand until April 21, and in west Rajasthan from April 21 to 22.
East Uttar Pradesh may see some easing around April 20, while Vidarbha and central India could get marginal relief slightly earlier. No significant cooling is on the cards for the plains over the next three to four days.
Stay indoors between noon and 4 pm, drink water regularly even if you do not feel thirsty, and keep a close eye on the IMD’s district-level alerts.
This heat is not done with India just yet.
