Heat is catching up over different parts of the country. Earlier, the interiors of Andhra Pradesh remained persistently hot and Anantapur, Kurnool, Nandyal, and Cuddappah recorded the highest temperature of 41-42°C. The heat zone has expanded and now covers Gujarat, Maharashtra, North Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. However, the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra has emerged as the hottest pocket of India. Heat wave conditions are prevailing in some pockets and are likely to continue.
The landlocked sub-division of Vidarbha has become the most soaring region over the central parts. Almost, the entire sub-division is sweltering with temperatures in excess of 41°C. Akola, Amravati, Chandrapur, Bramhapuri, Wardha, and Yeotmal have all exceeded 41°C, in the past 24 hours. Akola was the hottest in the region with a high of 42.6°C. A day prior, the city had registered a high of 42.8°C. The first wave of heatwave conditions is prevailing over Vidarbha, with temperatures about 4-5°C, above the normal values.
A north-south trough is extending from North Interior Karnataka to Central Madhya Pradesh, cutting across Vidarbha. Anticyclone over the Bay of Bengal is fueling moist air over Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha. The two features together may trigger isolated thunderstorms over these areas. However, the activity will be very mild and not enough to provide any relief from the excruciating heat. Heat wave conditions are likely over Vidarbha for the next about 3 days. The mercury is likely to rise further and may spike to 43°C at a few places. Extreme heat is likely to spill over to parts of North interior Karnataka, Telangana and Marathwada. The month of April is going to start on a hot note for southern and central parts of the country.
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