No respite: At 30.2 d Celsius, Indore records warmest night of season

Indore: City continued to remain in the grip of intense summer conditions as scorching days were followed by unusually hot nights, leaving residents with little respite from the heat.The city recorded the warmest night of the season on Tuesday with the minimum temperature touching 30.2 degrees Celsius, the highest in Madhya Pradesh. The night temperature was six degrees above normal.The daytime temperature also remained extremely high at 43.6 degrees Celsius, nearly four degrees above normal for second consecutive day. Hot winds continued late into the night, and the heat persisted even during early morning hours. At 8.30 am on Wednesday, the temperature had already reached 34 degrees Celsius, indicating another harsh day ahead.What has made the current spell more striking is that Indore has traditionally been known for comparatively cooler nights and pleasant early mornings (‘Shab-e-Malwa’). Even during peak summer, nights in the city usually offered some relief after sunset because of its geographical location and wind patterns. Meteorologists said that temperatures crossing the 30-degree mark at night are highly unusual for the city and reflect the intensity of the ongoing heatwave conditions.According to the weather department, the night temperature was six degrees above normal, placing the condition under the ‘warm night’ category. Meteorologists said that the minimum temperature jumped nearly five degrees within 24 hours due to dry north-westerly winds and slow wind movement, which prevented heat from dissipating during the night.An orange alert has been issued for heatwave and warm night conditions in Indore and nearby districts including Dhar and Ujjain. Ratlam is expected to face severe heatwave conditions.Weather officials said that maximum temperatures are likely to rise gradually by another two to three degrees Celsius in the coming days, after which no major change is expected immediately. Forecast indicates that heatwave conditions may continue till May 20, while mild relief is likely only after May 21.Several weather systems are currently influencing conditions across central and northwest India. A western disturbance, now positioned over Jammu as a cyclonic circulation at 3.1 km above mean sea level, continues to affect atmospheric conditions. Additional cyclonic circulations are active over south Haryana, northwest Uttar Pradesh, southwest Madhya Pradesh and adjoining regions.An east-west trough extending from southwest Madhya Pradesh to Manipur and a north-south trough stretching up to south interior Karnataka are also contributing to unstable weather patterns and heat build-up. Meteorologists have further indicated that a fresh western disturbance is likely to impact northwest India from May 15 onwards.What is Warm Night?According to India Meteorological Department, a ‘warm night’ is declared when the maximum temperature remains above 40 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature records 4.5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius above normal. Such conditions prevent nighttime cooling and increase heat stress, especially during prolonged heatwave spells.Temperature across regionRatlam 45.2 degrees CelsiusDhar 45 degrees CelsiusUjjain 44.7 degrees CelsiusKhargone 44.2 degrees CelsiusKhandwa 44.1 degrees CelsiusKhajuraho was hottest in the state at 45.4 degrees Celsius