Temperatures soar as intense heatwave grips parts of India

Searing heatwave grips India with temperatures up to 46 degrees Celsius, IMD warns of severe heatwave conditions.

A searing heatwave gripped parts of India on April 21, with maximum temperatures ranging from 40 degrees Celsius to 46 degrees Celsius in many regions.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), heatwave to severe heatwave conditions prevailed in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Gangetic West Bengal during the day.

This ongoing heatwave is the second heatwave spell this month. The first spell scorched parts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat.

On April 21, the maximum temperatures at some places were recorded seven to eight degrees above normal.

Baripada and Boudh in Odisha recorded a maximum temperature of 45.2 degrees Celsius, Midnapore and Bankura in West Bengal recorded 44.5 degrees Celsius and 44.6 degrees Celsius, respectively. Daltonganj and Jamshedpur in Jharkhand registered 43.6 degrees Celsius and 43.5 degrees Celsius, respectively, while Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh reported 43 degrees Celsius.

The threshold for a heatwave is met when the maximum temperature of a weather station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees in the coastal areas, and 30 degrees in the hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 notches. A severe heatwave is declared if the departure from normal temperature exceeds 6.4 notches.

Amid the prevailing but weakening El Nino conditions, the IMD had earlier warned of extreme heat during the April-June period when around a billion people are expected to exercise their franchise during the seven-phase general elections, heightening concerns about vulnerability to heatwaves.