Heat wave rages: Mercury touches 43.2 degrees C at Barmer

New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) Heat wave conditions are very likely to prevail over isolated to some parts of Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, and Vidarbha during the next 48 hours, over Gujarat, and Telangana during next 24 hours while severe heat wave conditions over isolated pockets also very likely over west Rajasthan during next 24 hours, the IMD said on Friday.

Barmer in Rajasthan recorded the highest temperature across India at 43.2 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Maximum temperatures were markedly above normal (5.1 degrees Celsius or more) at most places over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, west Rajasthan, Assam, and Meghalaya, at many places over Punjab and east Rajasthan, at a few places over sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh and at isolated places over Saurashtra, Kutch, and west Madhya Pradesh.

The maximum temperatures were appreciably above normal (3.1 degrees Celsius to 5 degrees Celsius) at most places over Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat and Vidarbha, above normal (1.6 degrees Celsius to 3.0 degrees Celsius) at many places over Chhattisgarh, Telangana and at a few places over Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Rayalaseema, coastal Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Pudducherry, Karaikal, Kerala, and Mahe.

The IMD also said, under the influence of a fresh Western Disturbance, isolated to scattered rainfall is very likely over Western Himalayan Region till March 21 with thunderstorm/lightning on March 19 and 20. Isolated hailstorm are likely over Uttarakhand on Saturday.

Light isolated rainfall is very likely over Kerala, Mahe, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, and coastal and south Interior Karnataka during next five days, over Rayalaseema, and north interior Karnataka during March 20 to 22, and over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on March 21 and 22.