A month back when large swathes of India was reeling under a cold wave, it couldn't imagine it was in for a surprise, and February unfolded with a never-seen-before rise in temperature. The country was caught off-guard with the early onset of summer.
The India Meteorological Department issued a press release on February 20 on the rise in temperatures and mentioned that the maximum temperature would remain 5 to 7 degrees above normal for the next three days. Skymet went a step ahead to predict an unusually hotter March ahead.
The absence of western disturbances in February caused the heat to accumulate. Along with that, scanty rain led to acute levels of soil and air moisture, Skymet said. It said this increase in heat will possibly give rise to frequent and longer spells of heat waves across eastern, central as well as northern parts of the country.
Another factor behind the surge in temperatures could be the anti-cyclonic air over the northeast Arabian sea, which has drifted to southwest Rajasthan. Hot and dry winds from areas like Baluchistan, South Sind and the Thar desert began sweeping through northwest India, Skymet said.
“Increased heat potential will possibly give rise to more frequent and longer spells of heatwave across central, eastern and northern parts of the country. Gujarat and Maharashtra face the risk of burning out through the months of March to June,” Skymet tweeted today.
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