From blazing heat in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh to heavy rain in Kerala and thunderstorms in eastern states, India continued to witness a sharp weather divide on Tuesday with India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning that the contrast is far from over.
Delhi recorded its first official heatwave day of May as temperatures crossed 45 degrees Celsius in several parts of the city under intense sunshine and dry winds. According to IMD, the capital is likely to get even hotter on Wednesday with the mercury expected to touch nearly 46 degrees Celsius.
The heat was severe across large parts of north and central India. Banda in Uttar Pradesh emerged as one of the hottest places in the country at 47.6 degrees Celsius, already higher than Monday's national high of 46.4 degrees Celsius recorded at the same location.
Warm nights have added to the discomfort in several states including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha, with temperatures remaining unusually high even after sunset. In Delhi, air quality has also started worsening as it slips from the “moderate” category towards “poor” in some areas.
The IMD said heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are likely to continue over parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Vidarbha, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi over the next few days. Severe heatwave conditions are especially likely in parts of Delhi and surrounding regions on May 20.
While northern India battled extreme heat, southern states saw the opposite weather pattern. Kerala received widespread rainfall while Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari district recorded 16 cm rain in a single day at Neyyoor.
The IMD has predicted more rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Lakshadweep over the coming days.
Eastern India is also expected to see unstable weather conditions. Odisha will have isolated hailstorms while thunderstorms and strong winds are likely over Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha through the week. Heavy rainfall has also been forecast for Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim later this week.
In the Northeast, the IMD has forecast light to moderate rainfall across the region over the next few days with rainfall activity expected to intensify between May 22 and 25. Heavy rain is likely in parts of Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and other northeastern states while very heavy rainfall has been predicted in isolated areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam-Meghalaya later this week.
The IMD has also indicated an early advance of the Southwest Monsoon, saying it is likely to reach Kerala around May 26, nearly ahead of its usual schedule, with a model margin of error of four days.
