Alert was sounded of excruciating heat this pre-monsoon season. Prolonged and frequent spells of soaring heat were predicted for the country, commencing March 2023 and stretching till the end of the season. Hot conditions build up in the 2nd half of March over a few parts like Gujarat and Rajasthan, but large parts remained devoid of harsh conditions for long.
The month of April has passed off rather mildly without discerning the true sense of pre-monsoon blaze. The second half of April remained dormant and more so over tangible parts of the searing land of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha. The national capital registered no heat wave during the month as against 9 days last year. Mean monthly temperature was recorded at 35.3 degrees against the monthly normal of 36.5 degrees, a significant drop of 1.2 degrees. None of the stations have recorded a temperature of 40 degrees for the last 2 days, on the 29th and 30th of April. It is rather unusual to go scot-free from heat, even in small pockets during fag end of April. The highest temperature was 38.8 degrees on 29th April at Panagarh and Chandbali and a shade higher at 39.6 degrees at Bhubaneshwar on 30th April 2023.
Multiple weather systems are affecting, lashing most parts with simultaneous weather activity. It is unlike the pre-monsoon pattern and more likely resembles typical monsoon days. Large parts of the country, outside Northeast India, Kerala and some parts of Karnataka, have received above-normal rainfall, together for the month of March and April. As of now, seasonal rainfall is in excess of 14% of the Long Period Average, between 01st March and 30th April.
Active pre-monsoon conditions will continue for the next 10 days over many parts of the country. It is likely to ease out after one week from central and eastern parts, to start with. Heavy rainfall is expected over North India and the extreme south peninsula covering Tamil Nadu, South Karnataka and Kerala, today and tomorrow. In view of this widespread pre-monsoon activity, the heat wave will remain abated from the entire country till 10th May.
