 "Indian economy, Indian market, heatwave")
India is set to experience extreme heat during the April to June period, with the central and western peninsular parts expected to face the worst impact, the IMD said on Monday as the country prepares for seven-phase general elections from April 19.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said above-normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country during the April-June period, with a high probability over central and western peninsular India.
Normal to below-normal maximum temperatures are likely over some parts of the western Himalayan region, northeastern states and north Odisha, he said.
Above-normal heatwave days are likely over most parts in the plains during this period. Ten to 20 days of heat wave are expected in different parts of the country against a normal of four to eight days, he said.
Gujarat, central Maharashtra, north Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, north Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh are likely to experience the worst impact of heat waves, Mohapatra said.
Above-normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country in April, with a high probability over central south India.
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Normal to below-normal maximum temperatures are likely over some parts of the western Himalayan region and the northeastern states in April, the IMD said.
Above-normal heatwave days are likely over many areas in central India and the adjoining areas of the northern plains and south India in April, the weather office said.
Two to eight days of heat wave are expected in these regions against a normal of one to three days, according to Mohapatra.
Gujarat, Maharashtra, north Karnataka, Odisha, west Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh are predicted to experience the worst impact of heat waves in April.
Lok Sabha polls in India will take place in seven phases between April 19 and June 1.
The increase in maximum temperatures will not have any impact on the harvest-ready wheat crop, the IMD said on Monday.
India is set to experience extreme heat during the April to June period, with the central and the western peninsular parts expected to face the worst impact, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.
However, there is no heatwave warning for wheat producing states, except Madhya Pradesh, he said.
"Temperatures are around 37-40 degrees Celsius in Madhya Pradesh at present and are likely to go up to 42 degrees next week. Since 90 per cent of the wheat harvesting in the state is over, there will be no effect," he said.
Even if temperatures go above 35 degrees, there will be no impact in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, he added.
India produced 1,105.5 million tons of wheat during 2022-23. Of this, Uttar Pradesh accounted for 30.40 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 20.56 per cent, Punjab 15.18 per cent, Haryana 9.89 per cent and Rajasthan 9.62 per cent.
An early onslaught of heat waves impacted production in India in 2022, prompting the country, the world's second-largest wheat producer, to ban exports.
The wheat crop is sown in October while harvesting in most parts begins around April.
The maximum temperatures are likely to rise gradually by 2-3 degrees Celsius over many parts of the country during the next week.
Temperatures are very likely to be above normal by 2-3 degrees Celsius over many parts of north India and the east and the west coasts and near normal over the rest of the country.
