The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast that a heat wave will persist over central India and spread to other regions through May 31 [1, 5].
This prolonged extreme heat threatens public health and agricultural stability across the subcontinent as the region faces some of the harshest conditions in recent memory.
According to the IMD, heat wave and severe heat wave conditions are likely to prevail over the plains of northwest India and central India during many days of the week, the Met Department said [2]. The agency has issued specific impact windows for different regions. East-peninsular India is expected to experience the heat wave from May 23 to May 26 [2], while northwest India will be affected from May 24 to May 29 [2].
Temperature readings have already reached critical levels. The maximum temperature recorded in Akola touched 46.9°C [3]. The IMD reports that the general temperature range for most of India is currently hovering between 40°C and 46°C [4].
"Large parts of India are baking under one of the harshest heat spells in recent memory," an IMD spokesperson said [2].
The agency attributes these conditions to prevailing pre-monsoon high-temperature patterns across the subcontinent [1, 6]. While central India is expected to remain under the heat wave's influence until the end of the month [1, 5], other regions may see relief sooner as the monsoon season approaches. The IMD has noted that the monsoon is likely to arrive on the Kerala coast in early June [6].
“"Large parts of India are baking under one of the harshest heat spells in recent memory,"”
The persistence of severe heat through the end of May indicates a volatile pre-monsoon transition. With temperatures peaking near 47°C, the timing of the monsoon's arrival in early June becomes critical for mitigating heat-related mortality and preventing widespread crop failure across the central and northwest corridors.
