Average max temp likely 0.5 deg C higher then normal in north, central India between April and June

The average maximum temperature in north and central India is likely to be 0.5 degrees Celsius higher than normal between April and June, with the core heat wave zone expected to witness above normal heat wave conditions, the IMD said Monday.

Temperatures are expected to be near normal in the rest of the country, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its seasonal outlook for the next three months.

"The April to June (AMJ) season average maximum temperatures are likely to be higher than normal by 0.5 degrees Celsius over most of the meteorological subdivisions from central India and some subdivisions from northwest India. Near normal maximum temperatures are likely in the remaining subdivisions," it said.

The northwest subdivision of the IMD comprises Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan, while central India subdivision comprises Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

"Above normal heat wave conditions are likely in the core heat wave (HW) zone during the season (April to June). There is about 44 per cent probability of maximum temperatures in the core heat wave zone during April to June, 2019, to be above normal," the IMD's seasonal outlook stated.

Core heat wave zone covers Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana, the Marathawada and Vidharbha regions of Maharashtra and coastal Andhra Pradesh.

The season's average maximum temperatures are likely to be warmer than normal by 0.5 degree degree Celsius to 1 degree Celsius over Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi (HCD), Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Gujarat, Vidharbha and Marathawada regions of Maharashtra, coastal Karnataka, north interior Karnataka, Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, sub Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are likely to have near normal temperatures.

Current observations suggest that weak El Nino conditions are prevailing over the equatorial Pacific Ocean, the IMD said. El-Nino often impacts weather of several countries.