Heatwave in northwest India to continue till June 13  

NEW DELHI: Parts of northwest and central India reeled under heatwave conditions on Saturday though the area of impact reduced slightly.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the heatwave spell in isolated areas of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand will continue for up to two more days.

On Saturday, heatwave conditions prevailed in parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh where Banda was the hottest place in the country at 46.2 degrees Celsius. At least 22 towns and cities in these states reported maximum temperatures above 44 degrees Celsius.

Northwest and central India is reeling under a heatwave spell since June 2 due to an onslaught of hot and dry westerly winds.

Senior IMD scientist R K Jenamani said maximum temperatures in Delhi-NCR and other parts of northwest India will come down by a few notches over the weekend but no major relief is likely till June 15.

The IMD said moisture-laden easterly winds will provide significant relief from the searing heat from June 16 onwards.

Pre-monsoon activity is predicted over east Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha from June 12, but north Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and north Madhya Pradesh will continue to see above-normal temperatures till June 15, the IMD official said.

The Met Office said no significant change in maximum temperatures is likely in northwest India during the next four days.

Between June 16 and June 22, maximum temperatures are likely to remain "below-normal to near-normal", the IMD said in an extended range forecast. "No significant heatwave likely over any part of the country during the week (June 16-June 22)," it said.