Most parts of India are forecast to experience hotter-than-usual weather this year.
Some parts of the country will witness a rise in temperature by 3-5 degrees Celsius over the next five days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said today.
"Maximum temperatures are very likely to be above normal by 3-5 degrees Celsius over Northeast India, West Bengal, Sikkim, Odisha, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh during the next 4-5 days," the IMD said in a statement.
"Heat wave conditions very likely in isolated pockets over Gangetic West Bengal during 13th-17th; over north coastal Andhra Pradesh & Odisha during 13th-15th April and over Bihar during 15th-17th April 2023," the IMD statement read.
The weather office has also predicted light rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning over Goa, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra over the next five days.
India logged its hottest February this year since record-keeping began in 1901, according to the IMD. However, above-normal rainfall due to seven western disturbances, including five strong ones, kept temperatures in check in March.
In the wake of the heat wave predictions in the national capital, the Delhi government today issued guidelines on school preparedness. The new guidelines direct all the schools recognized under the directorate of education to ensure that there is no student assembly in the schools in the afternoons.
Earlier, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed all anganwadi centres and schools to remain closed from April 12 till April 16 in view of rising temperatures across the coastal state.
Several parts of India are forecast to witness hotter-than-usual weather through June, raising the risk of more strain on the power network as people turn to air conditioners to find reprieve from heat waves.
Most parts of India are forecast to experience hotter-than-usual weather this year. Most areas of central, eastern and northwestern states are likely to experience heat waves during the three-month summer season, the weather office has said.