IMD announces less chance of heat waves in Telangana this summer

Met department says there wont be a heat wave and that maximum temperatures in the State, including Hyderabad, will be normal to below normal this summer.

Hyderabad: Here is some relief for those apprehensive on the mercury soaring high in the State this summer.

The India Meteorological Department – Hyderabad (IMD-H) has announced that the maximum temperatures in the State, including Hyderabad, will be normal to below normal this summer.

Dr. A. Sravani, Scientist-C at IMD-H, says the temperatures in the state in March, April, and May are expected to be normal to below normal, with lesser chances of heat wave conditions this year. Additionally, the State, which typically experiences negligible winter and sizable summer rains, is expected to receive normal to above-normal rainfall in March. The country, on average, is expected to receive 83 to 11 per cent rainfall this month.

However, Hyderabad, the southwestern district, has historically experienced a lack of significant rainfall during the summer. According to the Telangana State Development Society, between 2004 and 2022, the city saw only five rainy days during the summer and experienced 81 dry days.

Dr. Sravani says the maximum temperatures in February were normal in the State, though some districts recorded temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius, which were not consistent. In Hyderabad, the mercury soared over 35 degrees Celsius five times and almost reached 36 degrees Celsius twice.

Northwest India, central, and western India experienced extreme weather conditions in February due to weak western disturbances that failed to bring adequate winter rain, she says.

Meanwhile, the IMD-H’s seven-day forecast indicates that maximum temperatures in Hyderabad could reach 36 degrees Celsius, while minimum temperatures are expected to remain below 20 degrees Celsius.

Currently, La Nina conditions — or below-normal temperatures— are prevailing over the equatorial Pacific region. The La Nina is likely to weaken and turn to El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), ‘neutral conditions’ during the pre-monsoon season, according to the IMD forecast.

La Nina conditions, which persisted for nearly three years, are associated with better monsoon rains with El Nino conditions linked to reduced monsoon rains, particularly in northwest India.