Voting for 102 seats in the Lok Sabha took place on Friday amid a searing heatwave with the sun beating down hard over large parts of the country. The temperatures have remained abnormally high over the eastern states as well as southern peninsular India, leaving people hot and bothered.
This is the second spell of heatwave this April, which has swept parts of Odisha, Jharkhand, and Gangetic West Bengal as well as isolated pockets of Telangana, Rayalaseema, interior Tamil Nadu, Saurashtra, and Kachchh with temperatures way past 40℃ for days.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the current phase of heatwave is likely to continue till April 23 and intensify further over eastern India. The temperatures are expected to rise by at least 2℃ in Odisha, West Bengal, and Jharkhand where an orange alert has been issued warning of moderate health risks for the elderly, children, and vulnerable people. Locals have been advised not to venture out from 12 noon to 3 pm, and remain hydrated all through the day.
Tamil Nadu where polling took place on all the 39 seats in the first phase on Friday has also been impacted by heatwave, especially the interior districts, with temperatures nearly 2-4℃ above normal. While the heatwave is expected to subside from Friday onwards, the hot and humid weather will prevail. The southern states are also reeling under high humidity levels, worsening the heat stress. A heatwave is declared when the mercury crosses 40℃ in at least two weather stations in a meteorological subdivision consecutively for two days.
The day temperatures have been settling around 42-43°C at many places over Marathwada, Telangana, Rayalaseema, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and at isolated places over Gujarat region Vidarbha. It is over 40℃ in Saurashtra and Kachchh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh. It is not just the day temperatures, but the mercury is hovering above-normal even during the night hours – worsening the heat stress.
The IMD had already warned of an intense heatwave season this summer and issued advisories to the Election Commission of India (ECI) in view of the Lok Sabha polls. The weather department is expecting at least 2 to 8 heatwave days in areas, which normally see around 1-3 heatwave days in April. The record-breaking heat has been exacerbated by the prevailing above-normal sea-surface temperatures over the equatorial Pacific Ocean – a phenomenon called El Nino. It is currently moderate and is likely to weaken by May-end.
Meanwhile, northwest India could expect some gusty winds (30-40kmph) and thundershowers over the next two days. A fresh spell of Western Disturbance is likely to impact the region on April 22-23 and bring light to moderate rainfall mainly thundershowers and lightning. Delhi recorded a temperature of nearly 39℃ on Thursday, which settled around 20℃ during the night.
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