Heatwave back in eastern, northern India amid indications of monsoon lull

New Delhi: The national capital, parts of Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar were in the grip of a severe heatwave on Thursday with maximum temperatures crossing the 46 degrees Celsius mark at several places and no immediate respite in sight due to the slow progress of the southwest monsoon.

Buxar in Bihar recorded 47.2 degrees Celsius, the highest in the country on Thursday, which was 8.9 degrees above the normal maximum temperature for the season.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its extended range forecast for the next two weeks, said the cumulative monsoon rains received across the country for the first 12 days of this season was 4 per cent less than the normal, with northwest India remaining parched with 53 per cent deficient rains.

Southern India, on the other hand, received 60 per cent more rainfall than normal during the June 1-12 period.

The weather office said conditions were likely to become favourable for further advance of the southwest monsoon towards the end of the week around June 19.

According to the forecast models, the Madden Julian Oscillation or the monsoon pulse, was expected to remain weak over the next two weeks which was not favourable for convective activity and formation of cyclones over the north Indian Ocean.

"Today, heatwave conditions observed in most parts with severe heat wave conditions at isolated pockets of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi," the weather office said, adding that heatwave conditions were also recorded in some parts of Jharkhand, Bihar, and Punjab.

The maximum temperatures were in the range of 44-47 degrees Celsius over many parts of Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and over some parts of west Jharkhand, southwest Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and north Rajasthan.

According to the IMD, Odisha has experienced 27 heatwave days between March 1 and June 9, the highest in the country, followed by west Rajasthan (23), West Bengal (21), Haryana-Delhi-West Uttar Pradesh (20), west Madhya Pradesh (19), Gujarat and east Rajasthan (17 each).