Most portions of central and neighboring east India have experienced a respite from the heatwave. However, the meteorological authority predicts that extreme heat spells will continue for the next two days in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and southeast Uttar Pradesh.
"After that, the maximum temperature will gradually drop by 2-3 degrees Celsius," IMD noted. During the 16-22 June period, no strong heatwaves are expected in any section of the country. A yellow alert was also issued for heatwaves in portions of the national capital on Monday, according to news agency PTI.
Due to an onslaught of hot and dry westerly winds, northwest India has been experiencing a heatwave since June 2. The maximum temperature at Delhi's base station, the Safdarjung Observatory, was 43.9 degrees Celsius on Sunday, four degrees above normal.
As hot and dry westerlies stormed across northwest India, at least 22 towns and cities in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand registered maximum temperatures exceeding 44 degrees Celsius, according to officials.
Rainfall Prediction:
On the monsoon front, the IMD predicted that conditions would remain favorable in the coming days for the monsoon to move into more regions of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Sikkim, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Bihar.
Rainfall activity is expected to pick up in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Gangetic West Bengal from June 14 to 16. Thunderstorms and strong gusts are expected to accompany the rain.
Moderate rainfall is expected in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh over the next five days.
"Over the next five days, the current stretch of heavy rainfall over Northeast India, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, and Sikkim is projected to continue," the weather service warns.
IMD warned on Sunday that "moderate rainfall is highly likely" over the eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and Sikkim during the next five days. During the same time period, Assam and Meghalaya may get "very heavy rains."
"Scattered rain has been forecast for Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu until Tuesday due to the influence of strong westerly winds along the west coast." Coastal areas of Karnataka may also see rain during this time.
The monsoon is expected to arrive in the national capital around June 27, according to Mahesh Palawat, vice president of private weather forecasting business Skymet Weather.
