Weather somersaults after drizzle; IMD predicts intense heat till May 20

Kanpur: The joy of morning light drizzle and cloud cover evaporated by noon as bright sunshine pushed the mercury to 39.1℃ in the Kanpur division on Friday, leaving residents sweating and forcing many to remain indoors, during the afternoon hours.

Though the maximum temperature remained almost stagnant at around 40℃, the high heat index made people feel as if the temperature was hovering near 44℃.

The minimum temperature too witnessed a sharp rise and settled at 26℃, almost 3℃ above Thursday’s minimum temperature, indicating that nights are no longer providing relief from the heat.

According to the weather observatory of CSA University, maximum relative humidity rose to 75%, resulting in slow evaporation of sweat and making weather conditions uncomfortable. North-westerly winds blowing at speeds between 4.4 kmph and 6.2 kmph further added to the heatwave-like conditions in the city.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) the mercury is expected to rise further and residents of the Kanpur division may have to face severe heatwave conditions till at least May 20. The forecast issued by the IMD says that dry weather coupled with bright sunshine is likely to continue across the Kanpur division in the coming days.

Dr S N Sunil Pandey, weather expert of CSA University said that a “Heat Low”, a warm low-pressure area, continues to remain active over Central India and certain interior parts of Northwest India. As a result, severe heat and heatwave conditions are persisting across parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Dr Pandey also said that several significant weather systems are currently active across the country under the influence of pre-monsoon conditions and a western disturbance, resulting in major weather changes.

A warning has also been issued regarding strong winds gusting up to 80 kmph in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi-NCR and western parts of Uttar Pradesh, including Kanpur and Bundelkhand.