Tuesday, May 21

Red Alert Issued In 4 States, Temperature Reached 45 Degrees

Edited by Hiba Anvar
Red Alert Issued In 4 States, Temperature Reached 45 Degrees

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday announced that severe heatwave in east and south peninsula India will continue for the next five days. IMD has issued a red alert for the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha. Part of the country is already under intense heat. The government has issued health warnings and several states have suspended classes.

Equaling the temperature recorded on April 25, 1980, Monday touched the highest temperature, 41.7 degree after 44 years. This was the second-highest April temperature recorded in 70 years. 

As per the latest update issued by the IMD, the weather office said “intensely hot conditions” are expected in east India until Wednesday while it is expected to continue in the south peninsular region for the next five days. 

On Monday, a heat wave prevailed in parts of West Bengal, Gujarat, Bihar, Sikkim, Odisha, Jharkhand, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh’s Kalaikunda recorded a maximum temperature of 45.4 degrees Celsius. The third highest was 44.8 degrees Celsius in Odisha’s Baripada, followed by Sheikhpura in Bihar with 44 degrees Celsius. 

The weather office has asked the people to take “extreme precautions” as the areas under red alert could “develop heat illness and heat stroke”. While the people in areas under orange alert could fall ill if exposed to the heat for a prolonged period of time. 

M Mohapatra, director general of IMD has said that this is occurring due to anticyclonic flow. The expert added that the sea breeze is not entering east or peninsula India and this is expected to continue till May 2. 

Ten to 20 heatwave days are expected against a normal of four to eight in the entire April-June period. The intense heatwave may result in water shortage and could strain power grids in parts of India.  

The weather office bulletin also added that in the coming five days, Assam, Tripura, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Goa, Kerala and Karnataka are likely to witness huge humidity.