Weather forecast today: Strong heat wave conditions will continue over the next three to four days in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned, while advising people to stay indoors between 11 am and 4 pm. Met officials have also urged people to stay hydrated and keep themselves covered when stepping out in the afternoon.
Delhi recorded the hottest day of the season on Wednesday at 43 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature settled at 27.1 degrees Celsius. Thunderstorms, accompanied by strong, gusty winds and lightning, are predicted in areas of Jammu and Kashmir and east Rajasthan, and in the North-eastern areas of Assam and Meghalaya, IMD said.
The IMD predicted that Delhi might witness strong winds with cloudy skies in the evening. The national capital recorded the hottest day of the season on Wednesday with the maximum temperature at 43 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature settling in at 27.1 degrees Celsius.
The strong winds and rain, which hit Punjab on Wednesday afternoon, may delay the harvesting further as this weather is predicted on Thursday as well by the Meteorological department. Till April 23 only 16.42 LMT wheat arrived in grain markets.
Pune, on Wednesday, witnessed the hottest day in the month of April since 2013. The mercury soared to 41.1 degrees Celsius. The Met Office has warned that over the next two days, maximum temperatures over the city are likely to rise further. The minimum temperature in the city settled at 25 degrees Celsius.
Chandigarh was treated with strong winds and cooling showers on Wednesday evening. The Met department recorded a wind speed of 55.5 km per hour at around 7 pm. A tree in Sector 36-C got uprooted due to the wind, damaging the boundary wall of a house.
A low-pressure area was developed over the Bay of Bengal to the southeast of Sri Lanka by Thursday, which is expected to move northwest towards Tamil Nadu coast and intensify into a cyclonic storm by April 29, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
However, the IMD has warned that this could result in very rough/high sea condition over the South Bay of Bengal and squally/gale force winds (70-80 kmph) along and off Tamil Nadu coast, southwest Bay of Bengal and Comorin area.
Due to this cyclonic activity, Chennai MET department said moderate to heavy rain likely to occur over coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry April 29 onwards, reported news agency ANI.