Northwest India has recorded the highest temperature in 122 years, however, people can get some respite from April 2 to April 4 before the temperature rises again.
RK Jenamani, senior scientist, India Meteorological Department (IMD), while speaking with ANI, said, "Northwest India has contributed to the highest temperature of 30.73 degrees Celsius which is the highest in 122 years. The temperature was continuously higher and the western Himalayan region recorded heatwave conditions."
"Along with this, Northeast India which normally gets thunderstorms did not receive much rain and because of that, Northeast India's minimum temperature is the highest in 122 years. It was 25.20 degrees Celsius," he said.
Jenamani said that India got an early heatwave, particularly Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
"IMD will keep a close watch to see if this trend sustains even in April and May as a dry spell is continuing and there is no hope of rainfall too. April will be hotter for Rajasthan, Gujarat, Central India and the western Himalayan region. There won't be any rainfall in the next ten days," he added.
It shows over the country as a whole, the average maximum temperature recorded in March 2022 is the ever highest with 33.10 degrees Celsius in the last 122 years for the period 1901-2022 and it has broken the earlier ever highest of 33.09 degrees Celsius which was in 2010 for the month of the March for the same period.
The country averaged monthly mean temperatures of 26.67 degrees Celsius is the second warmest since 1901 (The warmest year on record was 2010 with 26.671 degrees Celsius).
The average minimum temperature was third highest at 20.24 degrees Celsius (previous record values were first highest at 20.26 degrees Celsius in 1953 and second-highest at 20.25 degrees Celsius in 2010).
IMD observes that over Northwest India, during March 2022, the average maximum temperature is highest at 30.73 degrees Celsius in the last 122 years (earlier highest was in 2004 with a value of 30.67 degrees Celsius), the average minimum temperature is the second highest with 15.26 degrees Celsius (the highest is of 15.4 degrees Celsius in 2010) and mean temperature is second highest with 22.99 degrees Celsius (the highest in last 122 years is 23.01 degrees Celsius in 2010).
Meanwhile, the mean temperature in eastern and northeastern parts of Odisha was 25.20 degrees Celsius which is the highest in 120 years.
"State had 96 per cent deficit in rainfall this March along with rapid dryness. Climate change and urbanization are adding to the severity of temperature," said Umashankar Das, Senior Scientist, IMD, Bhubaneswar.
( With inputs from ANI )
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