Maharashtra heatwave: Vidarbha reels under severe conditions for 16th straight day; IMD issues red alert

Vidarbha on Wednesday continues to reel under an intense heatwave which has persisted for the past 16 days Rainfall activity in the region has remained isolated with only light intensity showers reported at a few locationsMaximum temperatures have shown no significant change and continue to remain above normal while minimum temperatures have stayed largely normalBrahmapuri in Chandrapur district and Gadchiroli recorded the highest maximum temperature at 466 degrees Celsius while Buldhana registered the lowest minimum temperature at 213 degrees Celsius across Vidarbha stationsRed alert issued for Nagpur Chandrapur and adjoining districtsThe IMD has issued a red alert for Nagpur Wardha Gondia Chandrapur Gadchiroli and Washim warning of a likely continuation of heatwave to severe heatwave conditions at several places The forecast also indicates the possibility of thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds reaching 4050 kmph at isolated locationsOrange alert in parts of western VidarbhaAn orange alert has been issued for Bhandara Amravati Akola and Yavatmal where heatwave conditions are expected at a few placesAuthorities have advised residents to take precautions amid prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures and unstable weather conditionsUpper air cyclonic circulation reportedThe IMD today reported that an upper air cyclonic circulation lies over north Chhattisgarh and adjoining interior Odisha at about 09 km above mean sea levelA trough extending from northwest Uttar Pradesh to south coastal Odisha is also influencing weather conditions across central India including parts of Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh and adjoining regionsInterior Maharashtra bears the brunt of heatThe heatwavelike conditions persisted in the statersquos interior belt with temperatures crossing the 40 degrees Celsius mark in multiple districts Malegaon emerged as the hottest location at 430 degrees Celsius followed closely by Parbhani 419 degrees Celsius and Jalgaon 418 degrees CelsiusAhmednagar also recorded a high of 400 degrees Celsius while Jeur 405 degrees Celsius and Solapur 392 degrees Celsius remained intensely warmMost of these stations showed positive departures from normal temperatures indicating sustained heat stress across Marathwada and North MaharashtraMarathwada and Western Maharashtra remain warmMarathwada districts such as Aurangabad 398 degrees Celsius Osmanabad 386 degrees Celsius and Beed 270 degrees Celsius minimum temperature continued to experience hot daytime conditions with nights offering only slight reliefWestern Maharashtra also remained warm with Kolhapur at 358 degrees Celsius and Satara at 379 degrees Celsius both above seasonal averagesCoastal belt sees moderate heat but high humidityAlong the Konkan coast temperatures stayed comparatively lower but humidity remained highMumbai Colaba 354 degrees Celsius Santacruz 347 degrees CelsiusRatnagiri 356 degrees CelsiusHarnai 351 degrees CelsiusAlibag 363 degrees CelsiusHumidity levels ranged between 6080 per cent in many coastal stations making conditions uncomfortable despite moderate temperaturesHill station relief remains limitedEven traditionally cooler locations such as Mahabaleshwar recorded 298 degrees Celsius accompanied by humidity levels of 88 per cent limiting the usual respite from the heatThe widespread abovenormal temperatures across Maharashtra indicate persistent premonsoon heat stress particularly in inland districts Coastal areas while slightly cooler continue to struggle with high humidity levelsCoastal areas while slightly cooler continue to struggle with high humidity levels Weather officials are expected to monitor conditions as premonsoon activity gradually builds up