The country is set to experience a warmer than usual March, with an increased likelihood of heatwave days, as the country enters the summer season, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Friday.
News agency PTI reported, while addressing a virtual press conference, D Sivandanda Pai, a senior weather scientist at IMD, stated that the monthly maximum temperatures for March are expected to be above normal for most parts of the country, except for the southernmost regions of Peninsular India.
“Monthly maximum temperatures are likely to be higher than normal over most of the country, except some parts of southern Peninsular India,” Pai said, adding that below-normal temperatures are predicted specifically for the southern peninsular region.
This forecast for a warmer March comes on the heels of what has been the warmest February since 1901, with a mean temperature of 22.04 degrees Celsius, which was 1.34 degrees Celsius above the normal of 20.70 degrees Celsius, reported PTI.
When questioned about the impact of the warm weather on the rabi crop, Pai reassured that the wheat crop, in particular, is expected to fare well. “Nearly 60 per cent of wheat grown in India is of a heat-resistant variety, which is less vulnerable to high temperatures,” he explained, citing discussions with experts from the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to PTI, IMD also reported a sharp decline in rainfall across the country. February`s total rainfall of 10.9 mm was the 18th lowest since 1901 and the fifth lowest since 2001. Pai noted that the South Peninsular region experienced particularly low rainfall at just 1.2 mm, making it the 10th lowest on record since 1901 and the fourth lowest since 2001.
Looking ahead to the upcoming hot weather season, Pai stated, “From March to May (MAM), above-normal maximum temperatures are most likely to be observed across most parts of the country, except the southern parts of Peninsular India and isolated pockets of Northeast India, where temperatures are expected to be normal to below normal.”
The IMD has also issued a warning regarding an above-normal number of heatwave days expected during this period, especially over most parts of the country, excluding northeast India, extreme north India, and parts of southwestern and southern Peninsular India.
However, Pai did mention that rainfall for March 2025 is expected to be normal, ranging between 83% to 117% of the long-period average (LPA), with the national average for the month expected to be close to the LPA.
While the rest of the country braces for warmer conditions, the northern regions are currently experiencing a wet spell due to an intense Western Disturbance that has brought snow and rain to Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. This wet spell is expected to last until March 3, with another Western Disturbance expected to cross the region next week.
Pai concluded by saying that northern India was expected to see normal rainfall for March, with the long-period average for March being 29.9 mm, based on data from 1971-2020.
(With PTI inputs)
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