IMD warns of severe heatwave across Rajasthan, Delhi and UP until May 19
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📌 Summary:
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IMD has forecast severe heatwave across Northwest India (Rajasthan, Delhi, Western MP, Haryana, Chandigarh, UP) till May 19, 2026
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Central India — Chhattisgarh, Telangana, parts of Vidarbha, Central Maharashtra, Marathwada — also under heatwave conditions till May 19
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Saurashtra & Kutch in Gujarat to continue facing extreme heat till Thursday
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Maximum temperatures to rise by 4-6°C and remain between 46-48°C till May 19
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Driver: an upper-air cyclonic circulation over NW Uttar Pradesh and SW Madhya Pradesh combined with hot, dry westerly/north-westerly winds
🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS1 Geography (Climatology — heatwaves, climate phenomena); GS3 Disaster Management (extreme heat as a climate-induced disaster).
📝 Prelims Facts:
- IMD (estd. 1875) is under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)
- Heatwave threshold: 40°C+ in plains; 37°C+ on coast; 30°C+ in hills, with ≥4.5°C departure from normal
- "Severe heatwave" triggered when departure ≥6.4°C OR actual ≥47°C
- Western disturbances and anticyclonic conditions amplify heat events
🔑 Key Term: Heatwave — A period of abnormally high temperature where maximum temperature exceeds 40°C (plains)/37°C (coastal)/30°C (hilly) regions with a departure of ≥4.5°C from normal for two consecutive days.
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