Parts of India have hottest April in 122 years; no respite forecast in May

Northwest and central India had their hottest April in 122 years as average maximum temperatures reaching 35.9 and 37.78 degrees Celsius in the two regions, said the weather office on Saturday.

Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of India Meteorological Department (IMD), said parts of northwest and west central India--Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana--will continue having normal temperatures in May as well.

Overall, in the country as a whole, the temperatures in April 2022, was the fourth highest in the last 122 years.

The heatwave could affect agriculture by lowering yields of several standing crops in Punjab, Haryana and West Uttar Pradesh. May nights would be warmer in most parts of the country, except some regions of south peninsular India, Mohapatra said.

Meanwhile, he said a low pressure is also building over Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal which could develop into a cyclone, a final picture about which will get clearer by May 5. On the impact of several heatwaves on La Nina and El Nino (that influences Indian monsoons), Mohapatra said that though increased heatwaves is usually associated with El Nino, this year it has not been the case.

According to the IMD, the temperatures have risen abnormally in March and April this year largely due to absence of any western disturbance which could bring about some rains and cooled down the temperatures.

Rainfall in March and April this year was 84 per cent deficient over Northwest India, 54 per cent short over Central India but 40 per cent excess over East and North-East India and 38.5 per cent excess over Southern India.

The average temperatures observed pan-India for April was 35.05 degrees, which was the fourth highest in 122 years, he said.

"The average rainfall in May 2022 over the country is most likely to be above normal," Mohapatra said.

However, parts of northwest and northeast India as well as the extreme southeast Peninsula are expected to get below normal rainfall in May, he said.

The high temperatures in March and April were attributed to "continuously scanty rainfall activity", he said.

In March, northwest India recorded a deficit in rainfall of around 89 per cent, while the deficit was nearly 83 per cent in April, mainly on account of feeble and dry western disturbances, Mohapatra said.

North India witnessed six western disturbances but they were mostly feeble and moved across the higher parts of the Himalayas, he said, adding the last three western disturbances caused strong winds in parts of Delhi and dust storms over Rajasthan in April.

India, particularly northwest, Central and western parts of the country, has been reeling under intense heatwave conditions for the past few weeks