IMD, UN agency WMO sound heatwave alarms

New Delhi, Apr 30: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are likely to continue over several part of Northwest India and some part of east.

The IMD issued an orange warning for all of Northwest India, Central India and Jharkhand for Friday and Saturday. A yellow warning has been issued for almost the entire country except a few pockets until May 3 in view of the extreme heat.

An orange alert is issued for for local and disaster management authorities to be prepared for disasters and an yellow alert is keep watch or remain updated.

Heatwaves are more frequent and more intense and starting earlier than in the past. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in its Sixth Assessment Report, said that heatwaves and humid heat stress will be more intense and frequent in South Asia this century," the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said in a statement.

The WMO referred to data from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) which said that between 1992 and 2020, there were 25,692 deaths due to heatwaves. 6,973 deaths were reported between 2011 and 2015 and 1,743 deaths between 2016 and 2021.

Mahesh Palawat, vice president, climate change and meteorology, Skymet Weather said according to a Hindustan Times report, "we are expecting a marginal increase in temperature today and tomorrow over northwest India. They could be higher than the maximum temperatures recorded on Thursday.

From May 1, we can expect a dip in temperatures over east India. Models are showing good pre-monsoon activity over east India in the coming days. There will be thunderstorm activity over parts of northwest India especially the western Himalayas around May 2 to 4. Maximum temperatures could be back to normal temporarily after that."

"From March 1 to April 20, large parts of north India are dry. Moreover, due to an anti-cyclone over the Arabian Sea, winds are moving in the clockwise direction creating an area of subsidence where hot, westerly winds are blowing. There are clear skies so there is abundant radiation. This has led to this unusually intense heat wave spell over large parts of the country. This dry, hot weather is likely to impact both quality and yield of wheat in many parts of north India," Palawat also said.