Clear skies fuel heatwave as mercury crosses 44-degree C mark

Kanpur: Residents across the Kanpur division are set to endure intense heatwave conditions for the next few days, though the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has indicated the possibility of duststorms and rainfall towards the end of May.

According to the latest IMD forecast, the sky is expected to remain largely clear between May 25 and May 28, with severe heatwave conditions likely to persist throughout the region. A change in weather is, however, anticipated from the evening of May 29. For May 30, the IMD has issued a Yellow Alert for all districts of the division, warning of dust storms with wind speeds of 40 to 50 kmph, accompanied by lightning, thunder and rain.

Meanwhile, Kanpur Nagar once again witnessed temperatures crossing the 44-degree Celsius mark on Monday, in line with earlier predictions. The Air Force Chakeri observatory recorded extreme heat conditions, while the CSA weather observatory reported a maximum temperature of 44.3 degree Celsius and a minimum of 27 degree Celsius.

Meteorologists have forecast that over the next two days, the maximum temperature is likely to hover between 43 and 45 degree Celsius, while the minimum may remain between 27 and 33 degree Celsius. The heatwave is expected to intensify during the daytime, with unusually warm nights offering little respite to residents even after sunset.

North-westerly winds blowing at speeds of 6.1 to 9.7 kmph, coupled with low relative humidity of around 32 percent, made afternoon conditions extremely harsh and uncomfortable.

Dr S Sunil Pandey, weather expert at CSA University, said patches of clouds appeared in the morning due to changing climatic conditions, but soon dissipated, allowing the scorching heatwave to tighten its grip over the city and force people indoors during peak afternoon hours.