The heat outlook for the first half of May, which was released by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on 02 May, calls for immediate attention and preparation on all fronts.
The forecast is for three periods of five days each (called pentads) with expected temperature anomalies given for maximum and minimum temperatures. The big picture is that over some parts of the country maximum temperatures will remain 3-4 C above normal for all the three pentads.
Minimum temperatures that are 1-5 degrees higher than normal will increase in terms of the geographical range as the days progress through the first, second and third pentad: 02 to 06 May, 07 to 11 May and 12 to 16 May.
There are several particular alerts arising from the IMD heat wave outlook:
The heat outlook for the first half of May, released by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), for the three five-day periods of 02 to 06 May, 07 to 11 May and 12 to 16 May.
1. Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal and south Chhattisgarh, which have seen some record-breaking high temperatures in April, will continue to see above normal maximum temperatures.
2. South Interior Karnataka, coastal Maharashtra and Goa (the Konkan), and Saurashtra will experience a gradual rise in maximum temperatures from the first to third pentad.
3. Maximum and minimum temperatures both, in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will remain around 5 C above normal for the duration of the forecast.
4. The 12 to 16 May period (third pentad) will see higher than normal maximum temperatures (2 to 5 C) over almost the entire country, and higher than normal minimum temperatures over most of the country.
Other observations are:
5. The North-East will experience minimum temperatures about a degree higher than normal during 07 to 16 May.
6. For the second pentad, that is 07 to 11 May, maximum temperatures in north-west India (Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, western Madhya Pradesh, Delhi) will drop by 2 to 3 C.
7. Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseem and Tamil Nadu will experience lower minimum temperatures by 1 to 2 C during 07 to 16 May.
Please observe basic precautions during this period in particular: eat smaller meals more often; drink water even when not thirsty; avoid tea, coffee and alcohol; plan your activities to avoid being outdoors during 11am to 4pm; do not leave children in cars by themselves; keep a watch on the elderly especially those who are infirm or invalid; wear non-synthetic non-polyester light-coloured and loose fitting clothes; if working outdoors rest frequently; provide drinking water and shade to animals and pets.
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