NEW DELHI: Be prepared for a hot spring and a scorching summer. The Met office says average temperatures from March to May across half the country are likely to be above normal by more than 1 degree Celsius.
These months are expected to be particularly merciless in north India. Delhi, along with Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, is likely to see average temperatures soar over 1.5 degrees above normal. The maximum rise, however, has been projected in the hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where average temperatures could be a massive 2.3 degrees higher than usual.
The seasonal forecast, released by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday, also notes that there is about 52% probability that maximum temperatures in the core heat wave zone during the period of March to May will touch their peak — pointing to a high likelihood of heat waves.
This zone includes Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, Marathwada, Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra and coastal Andhra Pradesh.
The forecast projects higher than normal temperature across India.
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