new Delhi . Although heat waves are not a very rare phenomenon in March, they are generally confined to the central parts of India, but most importantly, this year it was experienced up to the foothills of the Himalayas in North-West India. Above-normal temperatures persisted for several days over many parts of west-central and north-west India, leading to two heat waves in March – one that started from March 11 to 21 and the second from March 26 and is continuing .
The maximum frequency of heat waves occurs in the month of May and just before the onset of monsoon i.e. early June. But data shows that March also brings heat waves.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Mrityunjay Mohapatra said, “Generally, the central part of the country – Gujarat, Telangana, southern Maharashtra, southern parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, receives heat waves in March. But this time we have seen the southern Areas like Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh also witnessed severe conditions. Even when there was no heat wave at many places, the temperature was much above normal.
Mohapatra said, “The above normal maximum temperatures were predicted correctly in many areas of central and north-west India and the prediction of below-normal maximum temperatures in many parts of the southern peninsula also came true. However, north and northeast India The prediction of the maximum temperature being above normal did not turn out to be correct.
Explaining the phenomenon, he said that the role of high pressure cells on the lower and middle troposphere which helps in moving the air downwards gives rise to heat waves.
Mohapatra said, “Winds were blowing from South Pakistan to South Gujarat towards North West India including Haryana and Delhi, so this region brought heat to the northern parts and this increased the temperature of Himalayan foothills, in Haryana and Delhi. Also. Rainfall activity was very less over the country and this time there was no Western Disturbance, as a result of which cold winds could not come and southerly winds were blowing from South Gujarat, South Pakistan to northern parts.”
IMD data shows that the country as a whole recorded a rainfall deficit of minus 72 per cent, quantifying ‘very low rainfall activity’.
The departures were minus 89 per cent in North-West India, minus 59 per cent in East and Northeast India, minus 86 per cent in Central India, and minus 13 per cent in the South Peninsula.
—AnyTV News
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