This year, around Holi, a severe heat wave has been forecast to occur in all the states of North and Central India. Holi this year is in the last week of March (25th March) and the temperature in South India has increased since the beginning of February. According to weather channels, Punjab is likely to experience an especially warm Holi this year as well, with temperatures expected to skyrocket upto 35 degrees around Holi in Jalandhar (23 to 25 March).
The situation is such that in all the states of South India to Maharashtra and Odisha, the day temperature is being recorded 4-6 degrees higher than normal i.e. above 33 degrees. This trend has been recorded from the first week of February itself, which had started in the third week for the past two years. Meteorologists believe that the trend of increasing temperature in the pre-monsoon season in the states of North and Central India for the past two years will continue this time.
Former Director General of IMD KJ Ramesh had said that we are passing through a phase of seasonal cycle, where as soon as winter ends, summer comes directly without spring. Due to El Nino (Pacific trade winds), the surface temperature of not only the Pacific Ocean but also Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea has remained below normal for the past one year.
Over the past 45 years, not a single month has passed with ‘normal’ weather. A study by the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) has found that in the last 45 years in the country, not a single month has passed in 540 consecutive months where no extreme weather event has occurred. During 2023 itself, the country experienced extreme weather events for 318 out of 365 days and no state remained untouched.
More than 100 incidents of extreme weather occurred in eight states of the country. Maximum number of such incidents occurred in Himachal for 149 days. Madhya Pradesh was troubled by weather events for 141 days and Kerala and UP for 119 days each. Various states of the country faced heavy rains and floods for a maximum of 208 days.