North India heatwave likely to ease after May 28; storm expected later

Dust and thunderstorms are expected over several parts of north India on May 29-30, bringing the much-needed relief from the intense heatwave, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.

Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and parts of Uttar Pradesh have been experiencing blistering heat for days with temperatures soaring over 45 degrees Celsius in some places. The IMD had on Sunday issued a red colour-coded alert for north India for May 25-26 when the prevailing heatwave conditions are expected to peak.

Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the Regional Meteorological Department of the IMD, said due to a western disturbance and easterly winds, dust storm and thunderstorm activity is likely over Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on May 29-30.

The wind speed is also likely to be around 50-60 km per hour during this period, Srivastava said, adding that this will bring relief from the intense heat.

A western disturbance is a cyclonic storm that originates in the Mediterranean Sea and travels across Central Asia. When it comes in contact with the Himalayas, it brings rains to the hills and the plains.

Heatwave conditions over some parts and severe heatwave conditions at isolated pockets are very likely over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, East Madhya Pradesh, and Vidarbha during May 25-27, the IMD said in its daily bulletin.

Heatwave conditions are also likely in isolated pockets over Punjab, Chhattisgarh, interior Odisha, Gujarat, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathawada, interior Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar and Jharkhand during next 2-3 days.

Due to prevailing dry north-westerly winds over plains of northwest India, central India and adjoining interior parts of eastern India, present heatwave conditions very likely to continue to prevail over these areas till May 28 with peak intensity on May 25 and 26, the IMD said in its daily bulletin.