North India reels under heatwave; heavy rainfall warning in MP

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is set to conduct an aerial tour of the areas affected by Cyclone Biparjoy.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely over isolated pockets of east Rajasthan on June 20 even as heavy rainfall will likely occur on June 21. (Representational)

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As many states across the country battle heatwave, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is scheduled to chair a high-level meeting Tuesday to review public health preparedness.

The meeting will be attended by NITI Aayog member (health) Dr VK Paul, officials from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and the Director General of Health Services.

This comes after at least 68 people in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia are suspected to have died between June 15 and 18 due to scorching heatwave conditions.

Heatwave warning

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), heatwave/severe heatwave conditions are very likely to persist in isolated pockets over eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana during the next 24 hours. The weather agency has predicted an abatement of heatwave conditions thereafter.

Meanwhile, a fall by 3-5°C in maximum temperatures is very likely over Madhya Pradesh and eastern India during the next 4-5 days.

Deaths due to heatwave

Amid soaring temperatures in certain parts of the country, in Bihar’s Gaya two persons on Monday died at Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College, even as a total of 58 patients were admitted to the hospital.

Heavy rainfall warning

Heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely over isolated pockets of east Rajasthan on June 20 even as heavy rainfall will likely occur on June 21. Light to moderate rainfall is also expected at most places in the state, as per IMD.
Over northwest Madhya Pradesh, light to moderate rainfall at most places is likely along with heavy to very heavy rainfall on isolated pockets on June 20 and 21. Over adjoining areas of northeast Madhya Pradesh, light to moderate rainfall at most places is likely on June 20. Heavy rainfall is also expected over some isolated pockets in the northeastern part of the state.
Light to moderate rainfall at most places is likely with isolated heavy rainfall over southwest Uttar Pradesh on June 20 and 21, the weather department said.

Northeast and East India

As per the met department, light/moderate rainfall at most places with isolated heavy to very heavy rain is very likely to persist over Northeast India, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, and Sikkim during the next five days. Meanwhile, isolated extremely heavy rainfall is also expected over Assam and Meghalaya on June 20 and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim on June 20-21.

According to IMD’s forecast, scattered rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning is expected over Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha during the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, IMD has issued a ‘Red Alert’ and predicted ‘very heavy’ to ‘extremely heavy’ rainfall across various districts of Assam over the next five days, news agency PTI reported. “The flood situation in Assam was serious on Tuesday with nearly 31,000 people still reeling under the deluge across 10 districts of the state,” an official told PTI.

Northwest and adjoining Central India

Scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning is likely over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand whereas isolated to scattered rainfall over the plains of Northwest India during the next five days.

Meanwhile, IMD has predicted that isolated heavy rainfall is very likely over Uttarakhand on June 22-23.

South India

As per the weather agency’s forecast, light/moderate scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning is expected over the southern part of the country during the next five days. Isolated heavy rainfall is also likely over Tamil Nadu on June 20 even as coastal Andhra Pradesh will likely witness heavy rainfall on June 20-21.

Schools shut due to weather-related developments

In view of the ongoing heat wave, the Patna District Magistrate has suspended all academic activities up to Class 12, news agency ANI reported. The order will remain effective till June 24.