NEW DELHI: Most parts of the country are likely to experience seven days of heatwave in May against the normal four, and above-normal maximum and minimum temperatures. However, above-normal rainfall could help prevent the kind of extreme heat recorded last year, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday.
IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said, “The number of heatwave days this May is expected to be higher than normal — by one to four days — across large parts of the country, particularly in Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Gangetic West Bengal.”
Some areas of Gujarat, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, adjoining Telangana and north Karnataka are also expected to see above-normal heatwave days, he said. Normally, different parts of the country, except the southwest Peninsular India, experience one to three days of heatwave in May. Mohapatra said, “Most parts of the country are likely to receive normal to above-normal rainfall, except for some areas in northwest, central and northeast India.”
Heatwaves carry significant risks, particularly for vulnerable populations such as the elderly, children, and people with pre-existing health conditions, who are more prone to heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
The IMD has issued an advisory recommending precautions for increasing incidents of thunderstorms and lightning events. In its seasonal outlook for May 2025, the IMD forecasts above-normal maximum and minimum temperatures.
Above-normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country except many parts of southern peninsular India and some parts of east India, where normal to below-normal maximum temperatures are likely.
Additionally, IMD predicted above-normal minimum temperatures are likely in most parts of the country, which means warmer nights across the country.
Meanwhile, IMD reiterated the persistence of the neutral condition of El Nino—the warming of the tropical Pacific ocean that is synonymous with poor monsoon in India. It again indicated a normal upcoming monsoon in India.
Earlier, in its assessment of the April forecast, the total number of heatwave days for the month of April was 72 Met-subdivision days against the normal 71 Met-subdivision days.
The highest number of heatwave days was 20 days, reported from Rajasthan, followed by Gujarat(13 days) and MP(10 days).
Further, April was the 7th hottest and driest month since 1901, with a mean temperature of 29.15 ºC, recording 0.85 ºC of anomaly. Similarly, Northwest India was 5th driest and hottest month since 1901. Last year, in 2024, the Southern peninsula experienced the driest and hottest April month in recorded history. “There has been a consistent trend of warmer April due to climate change,” said Mohapatra.
Heatstroke, exhaustion
Heatwaves carry significant risks, particularly for vulnerable populations such as elderly, children, and people with pre-existing health conditions, who are more prone to heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion and heatstroke.