Severity of heat wave likely to decrease from today onwards: IMD

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday predicted a decrease in the severity of heat wave, which has gripped most of the northern states including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Union Territory of Chandigarh and the city-state of Delhi.

In a tweet, IMD said: "Due to easterly winds at lower levels in our northern parts of the country, the severity of the heat wave is very likely to decrease over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi and Uttar Pradesh from today onwards."

In another tweet, the IMD said: "The current week El Nino conditions over Pacific are likely to continue during the monsoon season with some possibility of these conditions to turn to neutral ENSO conditions during the latter part of the monsoon season."

El Nino weather conditions persist throughout the monsoon season over the Pacific. Possibly due to this weather change, the El Nino-Southern Oscillation's (ENSO) conditions are likely to get neutral, later in the monsoon season.

ENSO is a recurring weather pattern which involves variation in water temperature in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. El Nino is a naturally occurring phenomenon which has its major impact on climate and weather patterns over several regions worldwide.

In a country like India, El Nino has been impactful on Indian monsoon season for long and has been used to check the rainfall forecast during the past monsoon seasons.