Heat alert issued by IMD, cautions people against illnesses

New Delhi: Due to extreme heatwave conditions, the India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and west Uttar Pradesh. The advisory urges people to take precautions since the likelihood of contracting a heat-related illness has increased.

According to IMD, there will be a heatwave across north India over the next five days. On May 20, maximum temperatures above 42°C were recorded in about 60 districts in north India. Forty-three regions were affected by a strong heatwave two days ago, the New Indian Express reported.

The majority of locations in Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, numerous regions of Rajasthan, some locations in the Gujarat area, Punjab, west Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh have maximum temperatures between 44 and 47°C.

The greatest recorded temperature was 47.4°C at Najafgarh (Delhi). In numerous locations throughout Delhi, these were 4-6°C over normal; in many other sections of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and in a few isolated pockets of Rajasthan, Saurashtra, Kutch, and west Uttar Pradesh, they were 2-4°C above normal.

In addition, warm nighttime temperatures are seen in various regions of Rajasthan, indicating the presence of heat waves at night. Many areas of Vidarbha, east MP, central Maharashtra, Marathwada, Saurashtra, and Kutch have recorded temperatures between 40 and 44°C.

In the meanwhile, throughout the course of the next day, temperatures will rise by 2-3°C. East Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, west MP, east MP, Vidarbha, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu division have all received orange alerts from IMD. The orange category denotes to be prepared, whereas the yellow category denotes caution.

In the meantime, the IMD reported that during the next two days, conditions are suitable for the southwest monsoon to advance over certain areas of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the Andaman Sea, and some more areas of the Maldives, Comorin area, and south Bay of Bengal.