Temperatures to fall after rising marginally in the next two days
The sun over India Gate, Delhi. Photo: Wikimedia Commons The heatwave in parts of northern and central India is abating, with temperatures expected to fall marginally in a couple of days, private forecaster Skymet Weather Services has said.
“The hot northwesterly winds, which were coming from Pakistan and Rajasthan and creating the heatwave, are now being replaced by easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal. Unlike the hot and dry westerly winds, these winds have moisture and are cool,” Mahesh Palawat, Chief Meteorologist at Skymet Weather Services said.
However, according to Palawat, temperatures might rise marginally in the next couple of days, but this would not translate into a sudden spike in mercury.
“Heatwave conditions will not make a comeback. With a fresh western disturbance approaching the hills, a fresh spell of rain and thundershowers might be seen around June 15 and 16. Then, temperatures will be less than 45 degrees Celsius, with isolated pockets remaining below 40°C,”said the Skymet Weather Services website.
“It is safe to say that the heat will persist, but the heatwave conditions will not make a comeback. The easterlies will continue as a trough and are moving across the south of Delhi. These winds will not allow the temperatures to go up,” it added.
The current heatwave that has engulfed India is occurring because of a delayed monsoon and El Nino, according to meteorological scientists.
Four elderly pilgrims travelling on a train from Agra to Coimbatore died on Tuesday in Madhya Pradesh reportedly due to the heat. In several places across India, temperatures crossed 45°C.
According to India Metrological Department data, on May 11, maximum temperatures were markedly above normal (5.1°C or more) at most places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, east Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha.
The weather anomaly was also reported at many places over west Rajasthan Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh and at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir, Saurashtra, Kutch and Telangana.
On June 11, the temperature in parts of Delhi crossed 48°C, while the highest maximum temperature was recorded at Churu (West Rajasthan) at 50.3°C.
“The easterly winds will not allow the temperatures to go up. Relief in sight for Delhiites in another three to four days,” the Skymet website notes.
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