Northwest and central India is reeling under a heatwave spell.
The ongoing heatwave spell in northwest and central India eased a little on Friday and maximum temperatures are likely to fall by two to three degrees by next week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Heatwave conditions prevailed in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Jharkhand, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh during the day, with Banda in Uttar Pradesh being recorded as the hottest place in the country at 46.2 degrees Celsius.
At least 25 towns and cities across these states reported maximum temperatures above 44 degrees Celsius, down from 32 on Thursday and 42 on Wednesday.
Northwest and central India is reeling under a heatwave spell since June 2 due to an onslaught of hot and dry westerly winds.
"The ongoing heatwave spell is less intense as compared to those recorded in April-end and May, but the area of impact is almost equal," senior IMD scientist R K Jenamani said.
The IMD said maximum temperatures in the Delhi-NCR and other parts of northwest India will come down by a few notches over the weekend but no major relief is likely till June 15.
It said moisture-laden easterly winds will provide significant relief from the searing heat from June 16 onwards.
Pre-monsoon activity is predicted over east Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha from June 12, but north Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and north Madhya Pradesh will continue to see above-normal temperatures till June 15, the IMD official said.
"Parts of northwest India, including the Delhi-NCR, may report a marginal relief on June 11-12. There will be cloudy weather over the weekend but rainfall is unlikely," he added.
The temperature will hover between 40 degrees Celsius and 43 degrees Celsius till June 15.
"The region may see thunderstorms and rainfall due to moisture-laden easterly winds June 16 onwards which is expected to bring a significant relief from the heat," he said.
Between June 16 and June 22, maximum temperatures are likely to remain "below normal to near normal" over the country, the IMD said in an extended range forecast.
"No significant heatwave likely over any part of the country during the week (June 16-June 22)," it said.