The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday issued an orange alert for Delhi and adjoining regions as intense heatwave conditions continued to grip large parts of northwest, central and eastern India.
Temperatures crossed 45 degrees Celsius in several regions on Thursday, prompting the IMD to issue red and orange alerts across multiple states.
“We anticipate heatwave conditions to persist across parts of northwest, central and most of east India for the next six to seven days. We have issued an ‘Orange Alert’ for Punjab, Haryana, the NCR-Delhi region, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha,” IMD scientist Naresh Kumar told ANI.
“We have also issued a ‘Red Alert’ for east Uttar Pradesh, east Madhya Pradesh and certain parts of Vidarbha for the next three days,” he added.
In Delhi, authorities and hospitals have stepped up preparations after the city reported its first major heatstroke case of the season.
A 24-year-old man fell unconscious and was admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on Thursday morning.
“The patient’s condition is still very serious. Heatstroke is a very life-threatening condition,” Dr Ajay Chauhan of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital said.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government was working in “mission mode” to protect residents from the extreme heat.
“Thirteen mobile heat relief units are continuously operating in crowded areas to provide cold and clean drinking water, ORS packets, first aid, cotton gamchhas and caps,” she said in a post on X.
In Uttar Pradesh, severe heatwave conditions persisted across Lucknow, Banda, Prayagraj and the Bundelkhand region.
IMD scientist Mohammed Danish said hot winds from Rajasthan and the absence of cloud cover were aggravating the situation.
“Bundelkhand, Prayagraj and Agra are hotter than Lucknow. Banda has recorded 46-48 degrees Celsius, among the highest in the country,” he said.
Banda remained the hottest place in the country for the third consecutive day, recording 48.2 degrees Celsius.
In Bihar, heatwave-like conditions prevailed in Patna and several western districts.
IMD scientist Anand Shankar said temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius were being recorded in districts such as Kaimur, Rohtas, Bhojpur and Gaya.
“The discomfort level is quite high. Warm night conditions may also prevail in districts such as Kaimur, Rohtas and Aurangabad,” he said.
In Maharashtra, severe heatwave conditions continued across the Vidarbha region.
Meteorologist Pravin Kumar said Wardha recorded 47.1 degrees Celsius while Nagpur crossed 46 degrees Celsius.
“Red alerts have been issued for Akola, Amravati and Wardha. Temperatures are likely to touch 47 degrees Celsius,” he said.
In Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam weather department officer Jagannath Kumar said severe heatwave conditions were likely over coastal Andhra Pradesh for the next three days even as southwest monsoon conditions gradually advanced.
Meteorologist G.N.R.S. Srinivasa Rao said heatwave conditions were expected to spread further across Telangana.
“These high temperatures are likely to continue for the next four to five days across eastern and northern Telangana. Gradually, central Telangana districts, including Warangal, Hanumkonda, Mahabubabad, Nalgonda and Suryapet, are also expected to experience heatwave conditions over the next three to four days,” Rao said.
“For the last four to five days, Hyderabad has been recording maximum temperatures ranging from 39 degrees Celsius to 41 degrees Celsius. Yesterday, Khammam district recorded the highest temperature in the state, while Adilabad district recorded the highest last week,” he added.
On the monsoon, Rao said, “The monsoon is expected to make landfall over Kerala between May 25 and May 28. From there, it typically takes another week to reach Telangana.”
(With inputs from ANI)
