Vidarbha- The Hottest Region of country: Temperature Rise Likely

• Vidarbha remains the hottest region with temperatures above 43°C
• Maharashtra to see a 2–3°C rise over the next few days
• No heatwave expected despite high temperatures
• Dry weather to persist with limited activity till around April 20

Weather activity has gone minimal over the country during the last two days. Only Northeast India has witnessed light to moderate showers. Outside this region and the mountains of North India, dry weather is likely to prevail over the rest of the country. Vidarbha is expected to remain the hottest pocket of the country. Akola recorded the highest temperature of 43.1°C yesterday. A further rise is likely over the next 2–3 days, after which it will become stable.

There is no active weather system over the plains of North India. The only noticeable heat-generating feature is the low-level wind discontinuity extending from Marathwada–Vidarbha to Tamil Nadu across interiors of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Many parts of landlocked subdivisions of Maharashtra have recorded day temperatures in excess of 40°C. These locations include Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Nagpur, Parbhani, Osmanabad, Jeur, Sholapur, Sangli, Satara and Jalgaon.

Day temperatures over most parts of Maharashtra are likely to increase by about 2°–3°C over the next three days. In the absence of any weather system, no further rise is expected for the state. Despite the rise in mercury levels, a heatwave is unlikely to develop over the region. Most parts of the state have a normal of 40°–42°C around this time of the year. Heatwave criteria require temperatures to exceed 45°C, which is unlikely. An isolated place could be an exception. Largely, dry and hot weather conditions will persist over the entire region. Scattered weather activity is likely to develop on or after 20th April over some parts of the state.