India Braces for Heatwave: IMD Forecasts Above-Normal Temperatures

The India Meteorological Department has issued a warning about above-normal heatwave conditions expected across various regions of India from March to May. This forecast raises concerns about public health, particularly for vulnerable populations. While maximum temperatures are expected to remain normal to below normal in many areas, rainfall predictions suggest a mix of normal and below-normal conditions in different regions. The IMD's analysis of February's weather reveals the lowest rainfall since 2001, highlighting significant climatic trends. Read on to learn more about the implications of these forecasts.

By Narendra Chaudhary Mar 1, 2026, 09:23 IST

Heatwave Conditions Expected Across India

New Delhi, Mar 1: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has released its monthly forecast, indicating that many regions in India will experience above-normal heatwave days from March through May.

Areas anticipated to face heightened heatwave conditions include West Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, southern and eastern Maharashtra, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of north Karnataka and north Tamil Nadu.

Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the IMD Director General, highlighted at a press conference that the increased likelihood of heatwaves during the March-April-May (MAM) season could significantly impact public health, water supply, energy demand, and essential services, particularly affecting vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, outdoor workers, and those with pre-existing health issues.

Despite the heatwave forecast, maximum temperatures in March are expected to be normal to below normal in many regions, excluding the Northeast, eastern India, and certain areas of the Western Himalayan region and central and peninsular India.

Minimum temperatures are projected to remain normal across most of the country, although some regions in northwest India, the southern peninsula, and along the east coast may experience normal to below-normal minimum temperatures during March.

Mohapatra noted that average rainfall across India is likely to be normal in March 2026, with the long-term average (LPA) rainfall for March, based on data from 1971 to 2020, being approximately 29.9 mm.

While several regions are expected to receive normal to above-normal rainfall in March, the Northeast and certain areas in northwest and east-central India may see below-normal rainfall.

The IMD also reported that weak La Niña conditions are currently present in the equatorial Pacific, but neutral El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are expected to return in the upcoming months, according to global models and the IMD’s Monsoon Mission Climate Forecast System.

Reflecting on February's weather, the IMD stated that rainfall across India was the lowest recorded since 2001, with no cold waves or cold day conditions observed.

The IMD attributed the lack of active western disturbances and their interaction with easterly winds as the primary reasons for the reduced snowfall and rainfall during the month.

Most regions, except for the southern peninsula and some central areas, recorded normal to above-normal maximum temperatures in February. Similarly, many areas experienced normal to above-normal minimum temperatures, with exceptions in the eastern peninsula and east-central India.

The IMD reported that February saw the 10th highest maximum temperature, the third highest minimum temperature, and the fifth highest mean temperature since 1901.