Travelling in India this week? IMD issues heavy rain and heatwave warnings across major tourist regions
An unusual split has come to the Indian weather map for this week – whereas on one side, the southwest monsoon continues to advance towards India at a very rapid pace in the south waters with rain warnings raised in popular tourist locations, heat wave conditions persist in major parts of north and central India, as per the latest All India Weather Summary & Forecast Bulletin released by the India Meteorological Department.IMD reported that southwest monsoon has now entered into larger parts of the southeast Arabian sea, Comorin area, southwest and southeast Bay of Bengal, most parts of Andaman sea, and all parts of Andaman and Nicobar islands. According to the weather bureau, favourable conditions for further advancements can be seen till the next 3-4 days, as the southwest monsoon is likely to enter into Kerala region around May 26, plus or minus four days model error margins.Summer holidaymakers will find a tough situation as some of the most visited monsoon and hill locations in India may witness heavy rains, lightning, and thunderstorms through the week.A warning regarding heavy to very heavy rainfall has been issued for Kerala and Mahe, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam & Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Coastal and Interior Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Sub Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.Tourist hot spots like Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Karnataka, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands may be affected with temporary road closures, waterlogging, low visibility, and landslide threats. According to the bulletin, there is also a warning of road traffic disruption owing to water logging in roads and underpasses.
IMD issues heavy rain and heatwave warnings
Further, the India Meteorological Department also issued a warning of thunderstorm activity along with lightning and wind gusts with speed up to 60 kmph in Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, and northeast India. Hailstorm activity too has been predicted in isolated pockets of Karnataka.However, for beach enthusiasts and travellers, sea conditions will be unfriendly. Weather conditions characterised by squally winds blowing at speeds ranging between 40 – 50 kmph with gusts of up to 60 kmph have been forecasted in the Arabian Sea, Lakshadweep, Kerala and Karnataka Coast, Gulf of Mannar, Sri Lankan coast, and major sections of the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea.Fishing communities from the coastal areas of various states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Lakshadweep islands have been asked to refrain from going out in the seas.As the southern and northeastern regions gear up for rainfall activity, extreme weather conditions prevail in northern and central India. Heatwaves to severe heat waves are likely in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and parts of Coastal Andhra Pradesh.According to the weather bulletin, the highest maximum temperature in the country was registered at Banda, Uttar Pradesh standing at 47.6 degree Celsius.The seven-day rainfall forecast suggests continued widespread activity of rains in the regions of Kerala, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and north-eastern states, while the areas like Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and majority of western UP might remain largely dry despite soaring temperatures.From the point of view of the Indian travel industry, different climatic conditions might affect future trends in travellers’ movements for the upcoming days ahead. While hill stations and monsoon places might become appealing options for those trying to escape from high temperatures, caution is recommended due to increasing activity of heavy rains. Meanwhile, travellers from heatwave hit regions have to think twice before going outdoors since their trips will be dangerous due to hot weather conditions.Considering that the southwest monsoon is approaching much earlier than expected and heatwaves continue to hit Indian northern regions, summer travel season is facing one of its most weather sensitive periods in India right now.
