Temperatures likely to remain 0.5-1.0 degree Celsius above normal: India Meteorological Department

NEW DELHI: Temperatures are likely to remain 0.5-1.0 degree Celsius above normal in many parts of the country over the next three months, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.

The months of April, May and June are likely to be hotter than usual in the northwest, central, western, and western and eastern peninsular regions, the weather office said in its seasonal outlook.

However, the probability of the core heat wave zone experiencing "above-normal heat wave conditions" has been reduced marginally to 40%. The same figure stood at 43% at the end of February.

The core heat wave zone covers Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Telangana, parts of Maharashtra and coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Last year, temperature hovered around the 50 degree C mark in many parts of northern India. New Delhi saw a record high of 48 degrees C for the month of June. Heatwaves were declared in parts of Rajasthan and interior Maharashtra.

Over a large subdivision of the IMD, a heatwave is declared when the region experiences two consecutive days with over 45 degrees C. A severe heatwave is when it is over 47 degrees C, as per the IMD. Over a smaller region, like the National Capital Region, a heatwave may be declared for even a single day of temperature tipping 45 degrees C.