The intense heat wave scorching large parts of East and South India is likely to continue for another five days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned on Tuesday, days ahead of the second phase of polling on Friday in 89 constituencies across 13 states, including six eastern and southern states. West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Bihar are going to polls in this phase of Lok Sabha elections.
The IMD, along with the nation’s disaster management authority and various ministries, have readied an action plan to ensure seamless polling for the seven-phase general elections that began on 19 April. The weather department has issued an orange alert for Odisha, Bihar, and Gangetic West Bengal – denoting the possibility of moderate health concerns for infants, elderly, and people with chronic diseases. This vulnerable population has been advised to avoid heat exposure and keep hydrated.
“Heat wave to severe heat wave conditions are likely to prevail in some pockets of Gangetic West Bengal and isolated pockets over Odisha for the next five days, while isolated pockets of interior Karnataka, Rayalaseema, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, and Sikkim may face heat wave until Saturday; Tamil Nadu till Wednesday; Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana, East Uttar Pradesh during between Wednesday and Saturday and West Uttar Pradesh, Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam from Thursday to Saturday,” IMD said.
On Monday, temperatures went as high as 43°C over many parts of northern Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, northern Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, and Rayalaseema. “Hot and humid weather is expected to prevail over Kerala & Mahe, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & Karaikal, Coastal Karnataka till Saturday; Konkan & Goa, Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura until Friday, Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam and Rayalaseema for the next two days and Bihar today.” High humidity could add to people’s inconvenience in coastal Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala, West Bengal, and Bihar, it said.
“Odisha is likely to see warm night conditions with day maximum temperature exceeding 40°C from Thursday to Saturday,” IMD added. Substantially high night temperatures are likely in eastern Madhya Pradesh on April 22 and April 23. High night temperatures are considered dangerous because the body doesn’t get the chance to cool down. Rising night temperatures are even more common in cities because of the urban heat island effect, in which metro areas are significantly hotter than their surroundings.
The threshold for a heat wave is met when the maximum temperature of a weather station reaches at least 40°C in the plains, 37°C in the coastal areas, and 30°C in the hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 notches. A severe heat wave is declared if the departure from normal temperature exceeds 6.4 notches.
