Heatwave conditions are likely to reel over most parts of the country on June 3, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday.

“Heatwave conditions are very likely in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Jammu division, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh and Odisha on June 3,” said the weather bulletin.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a meeting to review the situation of the ongoing heatwave in the country and the preparedness for the onset of monsoon.

The Prime Minister was briefed that as per IMD forecasts, the heat wave is likely to continue in parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.

This year, the monsoon is likely to be normal and above normal in most parts of the country and below normal in parts of Peninsular India, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stated.

“Fire audit and electrical safety audit of hospitals and other public places must be undertaken regularly,” PM Modi instructed.

He also said that regular drills for the maintenance of firelines in forests and productive utilization of biomass must be planned.

The Prime Minister was informed about the usefulness of the “van agni” portal in the timely identification of forest fires and their management.

With scorching heatwaves gripping several parts of the country, at least 56 deaths from heatstroke have been confirmed in multiple states by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), sources said on Saturday.

The Southwest Monsoon hit the coast of Kerala and advanced into parts of northeast India from Thursday, said the Indian Meteorological Department.

This year’s Monsoon onset is two days earlier as the usual date of the onset is on June 1.

This year, Kerala experienced widespread pre-monsoon rains.

In 2023, rainfall over the country as a whole during the monsoon season (June-September), was 94 per cent of its long-period average.

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New Delhi:

India Meteorological Department on Friday warned of a likely heatwave in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for the next five days. It also forecasted a heatwave in states like Madhya Pradesh and Bihar for the next four days.

The weather agency also said that mercury had soared as high as 45 degrees Celsius in many places across the country in May.

Speaking to ANI, Senior IMD scientist Dr Naresh Kumar said, “..From April till the last few days, continuous western disturbances were influencing Northwest India, due to which parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand experienced isolated rainfall. Due to this, the temperatures were not very high. In May, the temperature reached 45 degrees Celsius in many places. Even today, the temperature has already reached 45 degrees Celsius in Rajasthan,” he said.

“In Punjab and Haryana, the temperature is also near 44 degrees Celsius and the conditions of the heatwave are similar to those in Uttar Pradesh…A heatwave is likely in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh for the next 5 days and in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar for 4 days, after which there may be mild thunderstorms, due to which the temperature may drop slightly…,” Kumar added.

Similarly, for the southern states, he said, “Heavy to very heavy rains are likely in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and South Karnataka in the next 5 days…”

The Met department in its weather advisory has said that heat to severe heat wave conditions are likely over the plains of Northwest India and Bihar during the next 5 days and Heat wave conditions are very likely to commence over East and Central India from May 18.

The Met department further said that a wet spell with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely to continue over south Peninsular India till May 23.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)