Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Bengal face intense heatwave conditions as temperatures soar above 40 degrees Celsius

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a severe heatwave alert for multiple states across India, forecasting temperatures to consistently exceed 40 degrees Celsius through April 30. Regions such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, and Konkan are expected to face the brunt of these extreme conditions, with an anticipated alleviation of temperatures post-May 12.

Severe heatwave conditions are very likely to impact many areas of Gangetic West Bengal, parts of Odisha, and isolated regions in Sub-Himalayan West Bengal starting April 30, according to the latest IMD statement. This intense weather phenomenon is expected to stretch over Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Rayalaseema, interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and East Uttar Pradesh over the next four days. The IMD has also forecast heatwave conditions in isolated pockets of Kerala, Mahe, Konkan, Goa, West Uttar Pradesh, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Yanam towards the end of April.

In Maharashtra, the IMD has specifically issued a heatwave alert for Thane, Raigad, and certain parts of Mumbai, expecting peak temperatures on April 27 and 28. Jalgaon in Maharashtra recently recorded a staggering 42.7 degrees Celsius, the highest maximum temperature reported in the region thus far.

Jharkhand is also seeing temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius across most of its areas, with particularly high temperatures predicted in the Kolhan, Santhal, and North Chotanagpur divisions until April 29.

Amidst the scorching heat, the IMD has not neglected the forecast of rainfall. Light to moderate rain and snowfall, along with thunderstorms and lightning, are expected across Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad and Himachal Pradesh, with isolated rainfall predicted over Uttarakhand from April 26 to April 29. Significant rainfall is also forecasted for these regions between April 27 and April 29, with Himachal Pradesh expected to experience heavy rains on April 29.

Scattered rains accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds are also predicted over Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi from April 26 to April 28, and similar conditions are expected over Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, and Chhattisgarh on April 27.

In the northeastern states, the IMD anticipates light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning over Sikkim on April 28, with heavy rains expected in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Meghalaya on April 28 and April 30.

Additionally, hailstorms are predicted in Himachal Pradesh from April 26 to April 28 and in Uttarakhand on April 28 and April 29. Hailstorm conditions are also likely in Punjab, Haryana, West Madhya Pradesh, and East Madhya Pradesh on April 27