48°C and counting: What India’s brutal heatwave is doing to summer travel plans

The summer tourist season in India is getting defined by an extreme heat wave spell that has made temperatures soar close to 50°C in various parts of north and central India despite the onset of southwest monsoon being close to the south coast.As per the recent IMD bulletin, heatwave conditions are likely to persist in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Vidarbha in the coming days. Besides, heat wave conditions are expected to prevail in Rajasthan, Telangana, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and some parts of Jammu & Kashmir.The maximum temperature recorded in the country was 48.2°C in Banda, Uttar Pradesh.With the rise in temperature, the travel plans in India are also getting affected, and travellers are becoming increasingly selective about their travel destinations, time, and duration of stay.Outdoor tourism in many northern cities has been restricted to mornings and evenings, while many tourists are going for short trips.In Rajasthan, Delhi, Agra, and central India, an increasing inclination towards indoor activities, air-conditioned transport, and flexible time frames has been observed as people attempt to deal with the extremely hot weather during daytime. The weather department has issued advice to avoid sun exposure and drink lots of water even when they are not thirsty. The warm nights are also likely to prevail in some parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Vidarbha, which makes it difficult for travellers to get over the heat that occurs during the day.Road transport has also been affected by the heat wave. Long distance travel through highways in north and central India is exhausting during the day, whereas the extreme heat during afternoons affects wildlife tourism zones of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.On the other hand, there are drastic differences in the Indian weather forecast, where the northern regions continue to experience intense heat, while the southern and northeastern parts gear up for strong rainfall due to the progress of the southwest monsoon.According to the IMD, favorable conditions prevail for the advance of the southwest monsoon into parts of the southeast Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Andaman Sea in the coming three to four days. The southwest monsoon is predicted to reach Kerala by May 26, with a model error margin of 4 days.Warnings of heavy rains have been issued for Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep, South Interior Karnataka, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands during the early part of the week. The rainfall is predicted to increase in intensity over Northeast India starting May 21, particularly in Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim.Heavy rainfall warning for Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim from May 22 to 23, Arunachal Pradesh from May 23 to 24, and Assam & Meghalaya from May 23 to 25 has been issued.As per IMD, heavy rainfall may cause waterlogging, traffic disruptions, local flooding, and landslides in susceptible areas. Thunderstorms and gusty wind are also expected in several states including Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and some parts of West Bengal.There will be tough sea conditions with squally weather over some parts of the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Mannar, and Andaman Sea. The fishermen of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Lakshadweep have been advised against venturing out to the sea.A lot of places in the country have also seen considerable rainfall in the last 24 hours. Neyyoor in Tamil Nadu had 16 cm rainfall while Longding in Arunachal Pradesh and Kadmat in Lakshadweep had 9 cm each.The weather systems currently prevailing in the country are forming two entirely different travel experiences – one coping with extreme heat and the other getting ready to welcome the monsoon season.