A senior official at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated on Monday that there will be more heatwave days this year than usual in the northern regions of the Indo-Gangetic plains, the eastern coastal states, and the western states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and surrounding territories.
Even in locations that might not experience heatwaves, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of IMD, emphasised in an interview with PTI Videos that there are climatologically vulnerable zones where temperatures are predicted to surpass 40 degrees Celsius.
Climate-prone regions exist. For instance, the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra typically experiences temperatures between 41 and 42 degrees Celsius during this time of year. In a similar vein, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana typically see temperatures between 40 and 44 degrees Celsius in May, he stated.

He continued, "Therefore, we should be ready for such high-temperature days."
In response to a question about the steps IMD has been taking to assist the vulnerable population, the IMD chief stated that in addition to creating WhatsApp groups to disseminate information among outdoor workers, such as street vendors and labourers working in fields, display boards were also erected to indicate the occurrence of heat and the anticipated actions to be taken.
"The goal is to connect with everyone and share the forecast data produced by IMD. We disseminate information via government channels, such as the National Disaster Management Authority's Common Alert Protocol, which makes the information accessible to everyone with a mobile device," Mohapatra stated.He pointed out that there are some areas where people might not have access to cell phones or instant access to IMD notifications, but he added that there is still room to reach out to those impacted by heat using both conventional and creative methods.
In his remarks at the Global Heat and Cooling Forum on Monday, the IMD chief gave the following example: "Associations of rickshaw pullers, street vendors, and domestic workers met us in Delhi last year, and requested information." We sent it to their association secretaries over WhatsApp, and they then shared it with their members. Additionally, display boards showing the presence of heat and the anticipated course of action were erected.

Although there may be some fluctuations from year to year, Mohapatra claims that higher temperatures are anticipated every year, particularly in the months of April and May and the time leading up to the monsoon (June).
The IMD offers the heatwave outlook one season ahead of time, followed by an extended range outlook that is valid for the following four weeks every Thursday, in order to address the annual and daily changes in temperatures. During the summer, a seven-day warning is also issued daily at the district level.
By the end of February, the IMD released their initial heatwave and summer temperature forecast for the months of March, April, and May. On the final day of March, it revised its forecast for the months of April, May, and June.

According to the IMD forecast, heatwave conditions are anticipated in several locations throughout the months of April, May, and June, particularly in the northern coastal states like the southern regions of West Bengal, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh, as well as nearby regions like Chhattisgarh and Telangana in the east.
According to the weather service, heatwave conditions are also anticipated in the southern regions of Rajasthan, some areas of Gujarat, the southern regions of Madhya Pradesh, the northern regions of Maharashtra, and the Indo-Gangetic plains, which include Haryana, UP, Bihar, and Jharkhand.