Severe Heatwave and Alerts Sweep Across India

The India Meteorological Department has issued heatwave alerts across multiple states, with severe conditions expected in regions like Gujarat and Rajasthan. Temperatures are soaring, reaching record levels, and impacting major cities. The ongoing heatwave is also accompanied by poor air quality, contributing further to the challenging weather scenario.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded a yellow alert for Delhi, forecasting significant temperature rises and heatwave conditions over the next two days. Simultaneously, a red alert has been raised for Gujarat, with an orange alert extended from April 8 to April 10 as the Saurashtra and Kutch regions grapple with intense heat waves.

Kandla in Gujarat's Saurashtra and Kutch recorded a peak temperature of 44°C yesterday, with 21 cities across five states surpassing 42°C. Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, West Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh are among other regions on high alert, expecting intense heat over the coming days.

Rajasthan is experiencing some of the most extreme temperatures, with Barmer hitting a historic high of 45.6°C — approximately 6.8°C above the norm for early April. Alerts have been escalated across several states as IMD projects ongoing heatwave conditions, coupled with challenging air quality levels in Delhi, where AQI readings remain concerningly high.

(With inputs from agencies.)