3 min readBengaluruMar 8, 2026 04:20 AM IST
Heatwave conditions are set to emerge and prevail in multiple pockets of the country during the next five days week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned.
Vidarbha was the latest to be added to the extreme heat conditions this March, with Akola (40.8 degrees Celsius) Saturday remaining the hottest location in the country. Other areas in Vidarbha where day temperatures ranged 4 to 6 degrees Celsius above normal were Amravati (40.6 degrees Celsius), Wardha (40 degrees Celsius), Washim (39.2 degrees Celsius) and Chandrapur (38.8 degrees Celsius).
“The maximum temperatures remained appreciably above normal, ranging between 37 – 41 degrees Celsius, over many areas in interior Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, some parts of north interior Karnataka. The day temperatures were over 5 degrees Celsius above normal across Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh,” the IMD said on Saturday.
The IMD declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature recorded over a location in the plains is over 40 degrees Celsius, along the coasts over 37 degrees Celsius, and over the hills more than 30 degrees Celsius or if the temperature departure from normal is 4 .5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius.
Vidarbha and Konkan in Maharashtra will continue to experience heatwave conditions lasting till Monday.
“There would be no major change in the heat conditions over Vidarbha for the next five days. Thereafter, the temperatures will further rise by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius,” the IMD said.
Similarly, coastal, central Andhra Pradesh regions and Rayalaseema will remain under the grip of heatwave till Monday. North Tamil Nadu, too, will experience an early heatwave this season and it will prevail till Monday, the IMD said. A heatwave spell will cover Gujarat and Kutch-Saurashtra regions during March 9 – 11.
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The Met department further said that no respite from heatwave was on the cards for northwest Himalayan states as they would continue to experience days warmer by 8 to 10 degrees Celsius till Tuesday. Many areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Punjab recorded above normal temperature by up to 12 degrees Celsius on Saturday. “So far, the western disturbances were few and feeble so the temperatures were rising due to clear sky conditions,” said a senior Met official from New Delhi.
However, snowfall is expected to return to the higher reaches of this region in view of an approaching stream of western disturbance, the Met office said.