Blistering heat continues in north and central India, hills scorch

New Delhi: A relentless heatwave continued to scorch large parts of north and central India for the sixth consecutive day on Saturday, with maximum temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius in several cities and high temperatures reported in parts of the hilly states. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said maximum temperatures remained more than 5.1 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya and at isolated places in sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim. Temperatures were also appreciably above normal in many areas of Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir.

Experts warn that persistent heat in these hilly regions could lead to faster glacier melt, increase the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and intensify forest fire vulnerability.

Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar and Churu were among the hottest places in the country on Saturday, each recording a maximum of 46.5 degrees Celsius, 5 and 4.1 degrees above normal, respectively.

In Uttar Pradesh, Prayagraj and Kanpur recorded highs of 45 and 44.9 degrees Celsius, while Ghazipur (44.5) logged a departure of 6.3 degrees above normal. In Madhya Pradesh, Hoshangabad reported 45.2 degrees Celsius, followed by Khajuraho (44.7 degrees), Nowgong (44.6 degrees) and Gwalior (42.5 degrees).

Rohtak in Haryana recorded 44.3 degrees Celsius, while Chandigarh reported 42.2 degrees Celsius. In Punjab, Patiala and Amritsar saw temperatures of 42.6 and 42 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The national capital also experienced scorching conditions, with maximum temperatures of 42.2 degrees Celsius at Aya Nagar and 42 degrees Celsius at Palam.

The heat index, a measure of how hot it feels when humidity is factored in, soared to an alarming 53.8 degrees Celsius in Delhi.

India experienced a relatively cooler May this year due to the early arrival of the monsoon and frequent thunderstorms in the northwest and central regions.

But a sharp drop in rainfall since early June has caused temperatures to rise rapidly, triggering widespread heatwave conditions since June 8-9.