IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday warned of more than one to four normal heatwave days during May as most parts of the country are likely to have above-normal maximum temperatures. However, occasional thunderstorms may keep the heat from reaching severe levels as witnessed in May 2024.
The weather bureau also said above normal minimum temperature is likely to be seen over most parts of the country during May, while night temperature in west Rajasthan and Gujarat may be warmer than other parts of the country.
Briefing media about the weather outlook for the month, IMD’s Director-General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the number of heatwave days is expected to be higher than normal by 1-4 days in most parts of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Some areas of Gujarat, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana and north Karnataka are also expected to see above-normal heatwave days.
Normal to above-normal rain
Normally, 1-3 days of heatwave is witnessed during May across the country barring south west peninsular India.
Mohapatra said most parts of the country are likely to receive normal to above-normal rainfall, except for some areas in North-West, Central and North-East India. “The rainfall during May 2025 averaged over the country as a whole is most likely to be above normal (> 109 per cent of LPA). The LPA of 61.4 mm rainfall over the country during May is based on data of 1971-2020.”
He said frequent and intense thunderstorms in May will likely prevent temperatures from rising to the levels seen in May 2024.
Commenting on the weather performance in April, he said the country recorded 72 heatwave days. Above-normal heatwave days were reported in Rajasthan and Gujarat (6-11 days), and in east Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha (4-6 days), compared to the normal 2-3 days. In east-central India, Maharashtra, and adjoining parts of northern Peninsular India, 1-3 days of heatwave were recorded, slightly below the normal 2-3 days.
ENSO-neutral
The IMD chief also said that during first week of May the weather may be cooler due to an expected western disturbance which will flow from west to east, bringing temporary relief.
He reiterated the forecast of neutral ENSO and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) during monsoon season which is seen as positive for good rainfall. IMD has already predicted above normal monsoon rainfall of 105 per cent over the long period average of 87 cm during June-September season in 2025.
Published on April 30, 2025
