Hottest April in 121 years over northwest and central India: IMD

India as a whole recorded the fourth hottest April month, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said adding that higher than normal maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to continue in northwest and central India in May.

NEW DELHI: The northwest and central India recorded the highest maximum temperatures for the month of April in the last 121 years, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday. Giving the forecast for the month of May, the Met department said that in northwest and central India higher than normal maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to continue.

North, northwest and central India recorded above normal temperatures in April because of the lack of a proper weather system that brought good rains or cloudy skies. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

M Mohapatra, director general (meteorology), IMD, said that while northwest and central India recorded the hottest April since the department started book keeping, India as a whole recorded the fourth hottest April month. He also said that in April, large parts of north, northwest and central India recorded above normal temperatures because of the lack of a proper weather system that brought good rains or cloudy skies that could bring down the temperatures.

“If you look at the maximum temperatures recorded in northwest and central India, it was the highest in the last 121 years,” said Mohapatra.

He said that the average maximum temperature over northwest India in April was 35.90 degrees Celsius and over central India it was 37.78 degrees Celsius.

Giving the forecast for the month of May, the Met department on Saturday said that people will not only have to bear with hot days, but nights are also likely to be warmer than usual, according to forecasters.

The forecast also said that while temperatures would be higher than usual, the number of heat wave recordings are likely to be lower than usual in May.

For the rest of India, temperatures are expected to be normal to below normal, IMD forecast said.

India, on average, also recorded its warmest March in 121 years with the maximum temperature across the country clocking in at 1.86 degrees Celsius above normal, IMD data showed.