Not only the northern plains and central India, but the Himalayan states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir are also witnessing unprecedented temperatures this May.
Dehradun, for instance, recorded a maximum temperature of 43°C on Wednesday, which was seven degrees above normal and matched the all-time record set in 2012. This May has seen the temperature exceeding 40°C for eight days, breaking the previous record of four days in May 2018, according to the regional meteorological centre.
Bikram Singh, director of the regional meteorological centre in Dehradun, mentioned that the ongoing heatwave conditions are expected to continue for the next 48 hours. He also forecasted rain and thunderstorm activity in the state from June 1, offering some relief. Singh attributed the severity of the heatwave to dry winters and reduced rainfall in the pre-monsoon season.
In Jammu & Kashmir, Srinagar witnessed its highest maximum temperature in a decade at 32.7°C on May 25. Mukhtar Ahmed, director of the regional meteorological centre in Srinagar, noted that the entire valley is experiencing a temperature surge, with Qazigund recording an all-time high maximum temperature of 34°C on May 27. Ahmed described this unusual trend as “climate variability” caused by a prolonged dry spell, similar to the heatwave conditions experienced in the valley in September last year.
Himachal Pradesh is also facing scorching temperatures, particularly in Shimla, where the mercury settled at 31.7°C on Wednesday, about six degrees above the average normal temperature and the highest since 2012. Sundernagar in Himachal Pradesh recorded a temperature over 40°C, the highest in the past decade.