Maharashtra is staring down the barrel of a blistering heatwave that may sweep several districts over the next three days, the weather department has warned.
Till April 2, the Vidarbha region, north Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada region of the state will remain under the grip of a heatwave till April 2, it said. Here’s all you need to know about the =second spell of heatwave in the state in the month of March.
What is Heatwave?
The IMD defines a heatwave day when the maximum is 4.5°C and more above the normal temperature and the maximum is at least 40 degree Celsius. A heatwave is also declared if the maximum touches 45 degree Celsius or above. A ‘severe heatwave’ is declared when the maximum is 6.5 degree Celsius or more above normal.
For the plains, a heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is more than 40 degrees Celsius and at least 4.5 notches above normal. A severe heatwave is declared if the departure from the normal temperature is more than 6.5 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD.
Reason Behind Unusual Heatwave Conditions in March
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), warm winds over several parts of the state – primarily from the dry and hot northwest regions — are causing the mercury to rise. The lack of pre-monsoon showers has also led to an increase in the overall maximum temperature, Indian Express reported.
The report says that March is considered a transition phase as it marks the beginning of the summer season over the region. It is a time when the day temperature gradually increases. However, this time, the first spell of heatwave has arrived much earlier than in the past.
Mercury Rising in Mumbai, Vidarbha
In Vidarbha, the mercury has already crossed 40 degrees mark. In Mumbai, the temperature is likely to hit 37 degrees Celsius from Wednesday onwards – which is about 4 to 5 degrees above normal. No heat wave has yet been predicted for the metropolitan yet. Hot winds are likely to intensify and the temperature can reach 43 degrees Celsius in some areas, the Meteorological Centre said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had warned of heat wave in north Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada from Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Jalgaon district, located over 400 km from Mumbai, recorded a maximum temperature of 41.8 degrees Celsius, which was 2.5 degrees C higher than normal, as per a report of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Farmer Dies of Heat Stroke
A 27-year-old farmer has died of heat stroke in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district, as parts of the state continue to witness heatwave conditions, officials said on Wednesday. An official at the Jalgaon district collectorate claimed this was probably the first such case during the current summer season in the state.
The farmer, Jitendra Sanjay Mali, was on Tuesday afternoon rushed by some people to the Amalner rural hospital in Jalgaon where he was declared dead on arrival, Dr Ashish Patil from the medical facility said.
Prima facie, Mali died of heat stroke. He was working in a farm and while going back home, he fainted during the scorching heat. The other farmers working nearby rushed him to the hospital, but we could not save him, Dr Patil said.
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