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Heatwave in Gujarat’s Saurashtra, Kutch; IMD issues yellow alert
The weather bureau has also issued a yellow alert over the Saurashtra and Kutch region.
Gujarat’s Saurashtra and Kutch region will continue to reel under heatwave conditions till Thursday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said. The weather bureau has also said there won’t be any significant change in maximum temperatures over most parts of Gujarat during the next 48 hours and it would fall by 2-3°C after that. “No heat wave very likely over the country during next 5 days except over Saurashtra & Kutch, where heat wave conditions in isolated places are very likely on 17th & 18th March,” IMD said on Wednesday.
The weather bureau has also issued a yellow alert over the Saurashtra and Kutch region. “Heat is tolerable for the general public but moderate health concern for vulnerable people e.g. infants, elderly, people with chronic diseases,” IMD said and addedthat people should avoid heat exposure.
The met department declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature is at least 40°C and between 4.5°C and 6.4°C higher than the normal or when the maximum temperature is over 45°C for two stations in a sub-division for two consecutive days.
It considers a severe heatwave when the maximum temperature is at least 40°C and more than 6.4°C higher than the normal or when the maximum temperature is more than 47°C.
IMD has issued a forecast of above-normal summers for north and east India which usually sees a high number of deaths due to heatwaves. In its summer forecast for March to May made earlier this month, IMD said day temperatures are likely to be above normal in north, northeast, parts of east and west India. "However, below normal seasonal maximum temperatures are likely over most of the subdivisions of the south peninsula and adjoining central India," it added.
It has said there is a probability forecast for above maximum temperatures in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Gujarat, coastal Maharashtra, Goa and coastal Andhra Pradesh.
The IMD had said earlier this year that 2020 was the eighth warmest since 1901 but it was "substantially lower" than the highest warming observed in 2016. According to the weather department, the past two decades - 2001-2010 and 2011-2020 - were also the warmest decades on record with anomalies of 0.23 degree Celsius and 0.34 degree Celsius respectively, indicating the overall rising temperature.
(With agency inputs)
