Shillong, April 29: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has said in its monthly weather prediction for May that heat waves could affect areas of eastern India like Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha because these regions are anticipated to suffer above-normal temperatures.
The weatherman also predicts warmer nights and below-average daytime temperatures for some areas of northwest and west-central India.
The northwest and west central regions of the nation, including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and portions of western Uttar Pradesh, are predicted to get normal to above-average rainfall in May, according to the IMD.
The northeastern area, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and south Karnataka are all anticipated to see below-average rainfall.
The meteorological service reports that the nation’s average rainfall in May will be between 91% and 109% of the long period average of 61.4 mm.
“Above-normal heat wave days are expected over most of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, east Uttar Pradesh, coastal Andhra Pradesh and some parts of north Chhattisgarh, east Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and coastal Gujarat during May,” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the Director General of IMD, in New Delhi.
According to Mohapatra, the equatorial Pacific region is now experiencing neutral El Nino conditions, which are predicted to last through May. The majority of weather models indicate that the region will start to warm up during the monsoon season.
However, other elements, such as the Indian Ocean’s sea surface temperatures (also referred to as the Indian Ocean Dipole), are also known to affect India’s weather.
The IMD had predicted a typical monsoon season earlier this month, with 96% of the Long Period Average, or 87 cm, of rainfall.