Heatwave grips North, Central, and West India; IMD issues red, orange alerts, Punjab tweaks school, office timings

Heat wave conditions are very likely to occur during the next 6 days, as per IMD's Daily Weather Report and Forecast Bulletin.

Several states of Northern, Central and Western India are currently locked in the grip of a punishing heatwave, forcing regional administrations to enact emergency countermeasures. According to updates from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), heat waves are a period of unusually high temperatures as compared to what is normally expected over a region. Several states are gripped by the extreme heat with temperatures over 40°C.

Heat wave conditions are very likely to occur during the next 6 days, as per IMD's Daily Weather Report and Forecast Bulletin. "Heat wave to severe heat wave conditions prevailed in few pockets over East Uttar Pradesh & Vidarbha; Heat wave conditions in many pockets of Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi and Himachal Pradesh; in some pockets of East Madhya Pradesh; in isolated pockets of Uttarakhand, Odisha, Punjab, West Uttar Pradesh & Coastal Andhra Pradesh," said IMD. As a response, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced via 'X' that the timings for all government offices and public and private schools across all class segments will be compressed in the state. Starting Monday, May 25, these institutions will function strictly from 7:30 AM to 1:30 PM.

In the national capital, a formal heatwave condition is clearly established at the Ridge station, where the maximum temperature hit a blistering 45.3°C. Meanwhile, Lodhi Road registered a 44.3°C. Other major tracking stations recorded similarly oppressive conditions, with Ayanagar at 44.5°C, Palam at 44.3°C, and Safdarjung at 43.6°C. Meanwhile, IMD has issued a warning for East Uttar Pradesh for a severe heat wave till May 28.

Uttar Pradesh's Banda district emerged as one of the hottest locations in the country, recording a blistering maximum temperature of 46.4°C. Traffic signals were turned off during daytime peak hours amid extreme heatwave conditions to prevent commuters from standing in the sun at intersections.

Furthermore, the district administration has created makeshift physical shelters at all major intersections and public squares to offer immediate refuge for pedestrians and commuters navigating the afternoon peak. Additional SP (Superintendent of Police) (Banda district) Shivraj Prajapati said, "The district administration has constructed shelters at all major intersections and squares, offering a place of refuge during the scorching heat."

Further west, the state of Gujarat continues to endure gruelling weather conditions, with major urban centres recording temperatures hovering between 42°C and 43°C. In Rajkot, the local governance framework has pivoted toward preventative public health advisories. Jayesh L Vakani, the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) for the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC), issued an explicit public warning urging residents to remain indoors during the afternoon.

"The temperature in Rajkot has increased to 42-43 degrees...No one should go out in the afternoon without any important work...Senior citizens and children, especially, should avoid going out," he told ANI. Director of the Meteorological Centre CS Tomar in Dehradun said that cities like Dehradun and Haridwar have been experiencing a gruelling heatwave-like situation, with maximum temperatures consistently hovering between 40°C and 42°C.

"The maximum temperature has been quite high over the past 2 days. There has been a heat wave-like situation. In Dehradun and Haridwar, the temperature has been up to 40-42 degrees Celsius. Today, there is a possibility of light to moderate rain in the northern districts, especially in districts like Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh, and Bageshwar. There is a possibility of light to moderate rain at some places there," he said. Amid the blistering conditions, he said that there is a possibility of "light to moderate rain in the northern districts, especially in districts like Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh, and Bageshwar."

The medical reality behind these numbers also has to be considered, as Dr Anoop Purkayastha, Consultant and Head of the Department (HOD) of Emergency Medicine at the Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in New Delhi, explained that when the mercury reads between 42°C and 43°C, the real-feel heat index often pushes the biological burden closer to 45°C or 48°C. "During a heatwave, when the temperature ranges from 42 to 43 degrees Celsius, it often feels closer to 45, 46, or even 48 degrees due to the heat index. In such conditions, a patient may experience symptoms like nausea, vomiting, confusion, severe dehydration, and extreme thirst. They might also experience fits or seizures. In medical terms, this condition is known as heat stroke. It is a critical medical emergency requiring rapid intervention to cool down the patient's body temperature. Failing to do so can lead to severe and irreversible damage to vital organs, including the heart, brain, kidneys, and liver," he told ANI.

Director Professor of Medicine at RML Hospital, Dr Ajay Chauhan, emphasised that precautions against heat strokes should be taken seriously, citing a high mortality rate despite being a rare condition. "Since the beginning of this heatwave season, we have had two cases of full-fledged heatstroke admitted to our hospital...I would like to appeal to my fellow citizens to take adequate precautions during this severe weather because once a heatstroke occurs--although it is not a very common condition--it carries an exceptionally high mortality rate, with 60% or more of affected individuals losing their lives," he said.

To prevent heatstroke, he recommended wearing light-colored, loose-fitting, and highly breathable cotton clothing. He also advised avoiding direct sun exposure between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM unless absolutely necessary. For those engaged in manual work, he advised a shade break every 45 minutes to an hour, regardless of whether they feel tired or not. "This should involve 15 minutes of resting in a shaded area under a tree, in the shadow of a tall building, or ideally, in a cooler environment," he said.

In contrast to the scorching plains, Shimla witnessed a change in weather, with some districts witnessing a drop of 6-8 degrees in temperature over the period of the last 24 hours. IMD Senior Scientist Sandeep Kumar Sharma said that due to a western disturbance over the region, a change in weather has been observed. He further said that there may be rain accompanied by thunder in some areas of Chamba, Kangra and Kullu.

To categorise the ongoing threat, the India Meteorological Department has maintained an extensive multi-tiered alert system across the country. An 'Orange' alert remains active for Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and coastal Andhra Pradesh, signalling that authorities must maintain a high state of readiness.

Simultaneously, a severe 'Red' alert has been designated for the southern districts of Uttar Pradesh, the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, and north coastal Andhra Pradesh. IMD scientist Naresh Kumar confirmed that these intense heatwave conditions across northwest, central, and parts of eastern India are statistically projected to persist for at least the next 5 to 7 days.

"Heatwave conditions across north-west India, central India and east India will continue for the next 5-7 days. J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are expected to see light rainfall in the next 3-4 days due to a western disturbance developing in the western Himalayas. Delhi-NCR will see temperatures in the range of 44-46 degrees Celsius for the next 6-7 days," he said. As the heat continues to run at maximum capacity, the civil population has widely adapted to defensive measures. Across major urban sectors, citizens moving outdoors are uniformly using umbrellas, wide-brimmed hats, and fabric scarves to shield their skin from direct solar radiation. (ANI)