India to see more heatwave days, warmer summer this year, forecasts weather panel

New Delhi,UPDATED: Mar 2, 2024 07:25 IST

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has released its seasonal weather forecast for the hot weather season from March to May 2024, predicting above-normal maximum temperatures for most parts of the country.

From March to May, the above-normal number of heatwave days is likely over most parts of the country except northeast India, the western Himalayan region, the southwest peninsula and the west coast.

Most regions of India are slated to experience above-normal minimum temperatures. The country is likely to record above-normal rainfall in March (more than 117 per cent of the long-period average of 29.9 mm).

The weather department also highlighted an increased number of heatwave days likely for the majority of the country, especially in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and some parts of Tamil Nadu, during the March to May period.

More heatwave days than normal are predicted over northeast peninsular India -- Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and north interior Karnataka -- and many parts of Maharashtra and Odisha, it said.

For March, the IMD forecast is above-normal rainfall in the country, with the majority of areas expecting normal to above-normal precipitation, while below-normal rainfall is predicted in extreme southeastern regions of the South Peninsula and parts of the Northeast and extreme Northwest areas.

Heatwave conditions are not expected over north and central India in March, as per the IMD.

Also, a total of eight western disturbances -- cyclonic storms originating in the Mediterranean region and beyond -- affected the weather in western Himalayan states in February.