Heatwave claims two in Maha, respite from April

Mumbai: Maharashtra health minister Deepak Sawant has announced that two senior citizens from Aurangabad and Solapur had died due to the heatwave in the state.

And while there have also been unconfirmed reports of five deaths, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted some respite from April due to presence of ‘western disturbance’.

Northern and central Maharashtra have witnessed a moderate heatwave, but the IMD has claimed the city’s weather is normal and minor fluctuations in temperature are due to the change in wind from north west to west.  

The term moderate heatwave, according to the IMD, refers to an increase in the normal daytime temperature by two to three degrees Celsius.

A.K. Sahai, head of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, said, “If the thunder situation created due to rise in temperature results in rains, the temperature drops.” However, in the current situation, the western disturbance (WD), which carries cool winds, is expected to lead to high-latitude winds — commonly called cooler winds — thus reducing the temperature from April 1.

This is because the WD coming from Caspian and Mediterranean seas go to Pakistan and travel up to Assam via Jammu and Kashmir.   K.S. Hosalikar, deputy director, IMD (Mumbai), said, “The change in wind pattern from north westerly (from Rajasthan) to westerly (from the Arabian Sea and Gujarat) has lead to the increase in temperature. However, the temperature in Mumbai was 33 degrees Celsius, which is around one degree Celsius above average.” Due to this, the city witnessed humidity of around 90 per cent.”  

The department, however, predicted that Friday would see a bearable 34 degrees Celsius and clear skies.