India Is Drenched in Heat with Red Alert for Several States

India faces an intense heatwave, with temperatures soaring above 46°C in multiple states. Delhi feels like 50°C, while unusual heat grips hill stations. 22 die in Bihar as IMD issues red alerts, warning of severe conditions.

As the IMD has put out red alerts, some of the worst affected areas in India are Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and other regions. It has rained only 46 % of the season average so far, with northern states like Uttarakhand, Bihar, and Jharkhand experiencing high temperatures and high humidity. One child died from the heat in Bihar, while 21 people have died from the heat in the past 24 hours across the state.

Delhi, the national capital, has been one of the regions most severely impacted by the heat; the maximum temperature is likely to stabilize at 45°C which is 6 degrees above the average for June. The Indian Meteorological Department reported that the heat index, or the feeling of the temperature, touched 50°C on Monday in Delhi. The heat was intense to the extent that it contributed to a technical hitch in an IndiGo flight that was heading from Delhi to West Bengal and which had to spend over three hours on the tarmac. Scattered rains and duststorms are expected from Wednesday onwards, but they will not offer any substantial respite to the capital.

It is also the case with the hill states and they are also under the influence of the heatwave. The plains of the region such as the capital city of Dehradun in Uttarakhand experienced a maximum of 43. was at 1°C and the beautiful hill station Mussorie was scorching under 43°C. That is why the temperature even in the towns, which are considered to be rather cool, such as Pauri or Nainital, is soaring high as there has been no rainfall in the past three months. Another hill state was Himachal Pradesh where the temperature was recorded at 44°C or 6. 7 notches above average.

In J & K state, the highest temperature recorded was 40 degrees in Katra. 8°C and the minimum was 23°C, the minimum temperature recorded in Jammu city was 44°C to 3°C. The maximum temperature of 47 degrees Celsius was registered in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on June 17, 2024, which is the highest this year so far 6°C. 

Former IMD Director General, KJ Ramesh said that the heatwave was due to shift earlier but delayed due to changing winds through the Arabian Sea. He also said that the prolonged heat is due to the monsoon delay over West Bengal since June 1st. Ramesh also said that Delhi might get some respite due to duststorms and scattered showers but the real drop in heat will come only after the monsoon arrives and it may still be over twelve days.

The IMD has forecasted that heatwave to severe heatwave conditions will persist in most of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Uttar-Pradesh, and some pockets of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand Bihar, and north Madhya Pradesh in the coming days. It will also be expected that isolated pockets over Odisha will also experience these extreme conditions.

Also Read: India Sizzles with Over 50 Dead from Heat Wave in 3 Days

The citizens are urged to follow preventive measures, drink water in large quantities, and avoid going out in the scorching sun at midday due to the heat wave that has hit the nation. The government and local authorities are coming up with ways to assist and help the affected populations, especially in areas where deaths have occurred due to heat.