Hingoli, Washim and Akola districts in Maharashtra had the highest number of days with maximum temperature above 40°C
While weather experts have predicted an above-normal monsoon this year, scanty pre-monsoon showers — to the tune of 8 per cent cumulative deficit over the long term period average, across India from March 1 to May 24 — led to no respite from heat in the past couple of months.
In that context, to check the gravity of the heat condition that has been prevailing in the country, Down To Earth (DTE) analysed maximum temperature data from April 1 to May 31, 2024.
In the above mentioned period, close to 70 per cent of 741 districts (according to IMD’s administrative demarcation) in the country had reported at least a day when the district clocked maximum temperature above the 40 degree threshold.
As per DTE’s analysis of the data, the three most heat-stressed districts were Hingoli, Washim and Akola, all from central Maharashtra. Out of the 61 days from April 1 to May 31, Hingoli reported 48 days when the district breached the 40°C threshold, followed by Washim with 47 and Akola 46.
In Maharashtra, 27 out of 36 districts had reported at least one day when the maximum temperature was above 40°C in the two months.
A more granular analysis of month-wise break-ups of above-40°C days shows heat stress was more profound in the southern districts of the country in April.
Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh and the Rayalaseema region in particular were the most-affected in the country in April. Kurnool reported 25 days when the maximum temperature was above 40°C, followed by Jogulamba Gadwal in Telangana with 24 days.
A month-wise break up also shows that in April, 418 districts had reported at least one day when maximum temperature had breached this threshold.
In May, the heat stress gradually shifted towards the western and west-central districts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
Burhanpur and East Nimar, both in Madhya Pradesh, reported the maximum number of days (30) when the mercury crossed 40°C.
Another 15 districts, spread across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, had reported 29 out of 31 days in May, when temperatures were above 40 degree celsius.
In Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, all the districts in the respective states, had reported at least a day when maximum temperature was above 40°C.
Cumulatively in May, 490 districts across the country had reported at least one day above 40°C.
Analysis shared by the India Meterological Department (IMD) earlier showed that 14 out of the 36 meteorological subdivisions had reported over 15 heatwave days from March 1 to June 9, 2024.
Unlike administrative boundaries like states and districts, meteorological subdivisions are demarcated after considering their similarity in climatic patterns.
According to IMD, the highest number of heatwave days were recorded in Odisha (27) followed by Rajasthan (23) and Gangetic West Bengal (21). Only the northeastern states, coastal Karnataka and the Marathwada subdivision were spared of any heatwave-like condition.
A heatwave is a period of unusually high temperature as compared to normal temperature over a region. Hence, declaration of heatwave-like conditions will differ from region to region.
IMD declares a heatwave in a region if the maximum temperature is above 40 degrees in the plains, 37 degrees in the coastal regions and 30 degrees in the hilly area and when such temperature conditions persist for over two days, along with temperature deviation of 4.5 to 6.4°C.
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