Cooler April in southern peninsula, heatwave to continue in central India

Normal to above normal rainfall is likely over parts of south peninsula, adjoining areas of west central India and some parts of northeast India

The southern peninsular India can expect a cooler April with intermittent bouts of rain while central and northwest India are likely to have little respite from high temperature and heat waves, India Meteorological Department said here on Thursday.

The alert comes following a rare March that witnessed two heat waves in quick succession with the second one – still going on – being triggered by hot air coming from southern Pakistan and compounded by the absence of a few spells of rain.

But in April, normal to below-normal minimum temperatures are likely over the south peninsular India, eastern parts of central India and extreme southern part of the northeast. Normal to above normal rainfall is also likely over many parts of south peninsula, adjoining areas of west central India and some parts of northeast India.

"There is a high probability (60-75%) of above normal temperature in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in April. The temperature will remain below normal in peninsular India. Also there will be above-normal rainfall in the south,” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general, IMD.

Mohapatra said there were two heatwaves last month; the first one between March 11-21 when western and central India had experienced 5-9 degrees higher temperature while the second one – triggered by a flow of hot air from southern Pakistan and Gujarat - began on March 26 and was continuing. It is likely to abate from north India in another two days but would continue in central parts of the country.

The IMD chief dropped broad hints of the south west monsoon forecast being a normal monsoon forecast because of a reasonable possibility of La Nina – cooling off the Pacific ocean than helps Indian monsoon - to continue till July.

However, another climatic condition known as Indian Ocean Dipole - a sea surface temperature seesaw between Arabian and Bay of Bengal – is not favourable for a good monsoon at the moment, but may turn favourable towards the later part of the monsoon season.

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