The scorching heatwave in northwest, central and eastern India is likely to ease over the next three days as showers are forecast in these regions, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). On Sunday, maximum temperatures dropped significantly by 3-4 degrees Celsius (°C) in parts of eastern Madhya Pradesh, by 2-3°C in interior Odisha, Vidarbha and Punjab, and by 1-2 degrees Celsius in Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, western Madhya Pradesh and eastern Rajasthan.
Tamil Nadu, particularly Karur and surrounding areas in Thoothukudi district, experienced heavy rains on June 3, bringing much-needed relief from the intense heat. The downpour resulted in severe flooding in several regions. The IMD has issued a red alert for several districts, including Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Tenkasi, expecting extremely heavy rainfall exceeding 204.4 mm.
Despite a slight drop in temperature, the heat remained oppressive, with maximum temperatures ranging between 43-45 °C in parts of northern Rajasthan, southern Haryana and northern and southeastern Madhya Pradesh, and 41-43 °C in many areas of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, southern Rajasthan, western Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Telangana and southern interior Odisha.
In Delhi, the Safdarjung weather station recorded a high of 42.8°C, 2.8 degrees above the seasonal average, and a low of 30.4°C, 3.5 degrees above the average. Thunderstorms and rain are expected in the capital on June 3 and 4, with temperatures expected to reach 45°C during the day and 30°C at night.
Rajasthan experienced light rain with thunderstorms and further light to moderate rain is expected in parts of Bikaner, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Ajmer and Jodhpur. Jaipur Meteorological Department Director Radheshyam Sharma said maximum temperatures are likely to remain below 45°C in the coming days, bringing a cooling effect to the heatwave.
Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest temperature in the country at 46.2°C. Close behind were Sirsa in Haryana and Ganganagar in Rajasthan at 45.4°C, while Jhansi and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh recorded 45.2 degrees each. Prithvipur in Madhya Pradesh and Bhiwani in Haryana also recorded highs of 45.1 degrees.
According to IMD, some areas of Bihar will experience hot and humid conditions from June 2 to 4, with isolated heavy rains expected in Bihar on June 2, Konkan and Goa from June 2 to 3 and Odisha from June 5 to 6. Meanwhile, Odisha Special Relief Officer reported 20 confirmed deaths due to heat stroke out of 99 cases in the last three days, with a total of 26 confirmed cases of heat stroke out of 141 cases this season.
