Northwest and central India experienced their hottest April on record (since 1901), according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). For the country as a whole, April 2022 was the fourth hottest April on record. March 2022 was the hottest on record for the whole of the country with an average maximum of 35.05 degrees C.
IMD director Mrityunjay Mohapatra said that it was because of the unseasonal wet spell in the northeast India this April that the average temperature of the country as a whole dipped. The hottest April on record in the country was 2010.
Normal April temperature for northwest India is 32.5 degrees C (maximum); this year it was 35.9 degree C, an anomaly of 3.35 degrees. Minimum for the region is 17.69 degree C; this year it was 19.44 degree C. In central India, the anomaly for maximum was 1.49 degrees, for minimum it was 1.04 degrees.
The first two weeks of May are likely to continue in the same pattern for many parts of northwest and central India, though rainfall activity in Chhattisgarh and eastwards should ease that belt out of the heat wave spell earlier. “Northwest India and Central India -- from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat will likely see above average temperatures for the first two weeks of May,'' he said, adding that some northeast states will also experience above normal temperatures. The minimum temperature will also remain above normal for most parts of the country except the southernmost tip.
Premonsoon showers have also been at a deficit, specially in northwest India, where the deficit was 83.8 per cent, and central India where it was 53.5 per cent below normal. Conversely, northeast India, which does not experience so much April rain, has seen a 40 per cent excess in premonsoon rainfall m the southern peninsula had 38 per cent above normal. With these variations in regional rainfall, the overall departure for the country as a whole is 1.3 per cent, but that figure is deceptive.
The weather bureau predicts minimum temperatures to rise in the country for two reasons. The day temperatures being high, makes minimum also higher. In addition, cloud cover , which will start building up with rainfall activity in the east and south, will also lead to a rise in minimum temperatures.
The IMD said that these high temperatures are likely to impact agriculture. Luckily, the prediction of the monsoon is that it will be normal and in time.
Mohapatra said that actionable warning in recent years has reduced the deaths caused due to heat. Since 2015, heat wave is also considered as a disaster event by the National Disaster Management Authority.
