Severe heatwave continues across Rajasthan and Central India, but a fresh Western Disturbance is set to trigger widespread pre-monsoon showers and sharp drop in mercury

Relentless heatwave conditions that have pushed northern and central India into a virtual furnace are expected to break by Friday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast widespread pre-monsoon rainfall activity across 15 states between May 29 and June 5, bringing a much-needed respite from the prolonged, grueling summer.

The change in weather comes on the heels of record-shattering temperatures. On Wednesday, Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan emerged as the hottest location nationwide, registering a blistering maximum temperature of 48.2°C. Local authorities across northern states have been struggling to manage the public health fallout, with massive water shortages reported in parts of Delhi and municipalities using smog guns to spray water onto roads in Jaipur to lower ground radiation.

Massive dust storms and orange alerts

A fresh Western Disturbance moving across the western Himalayan region is expected to alter the atmospheric dynamics significantly. The IMD has already placed 32 districts of Bihar under an orange alert, predicting severe thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds reaching speeds up to 60 kmph.

In Rajasthan, where cities like Bikaner and Jaisalmer crossed the 46°C mark on Wednesday, the regional meteorological center has issued rain and thunderstorm warnings for 11 districts, including the capital city of Jaipur. Ground-level cues indicate a rapid shifting of wind patterns from hot, desert-fueled northwesterlies to moisture-laden easterlies, which will likely trigger heavy dust storms across Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh by Thursday evening.

Suspected heatwave deaths trigger alarm

The sheer intensity of this late-May heatwave has turned fatal in parts of Central India. In Maharashtra’s Nagpur, where the mercury touched 46°C earlier this week, hospital mortuaries have seen a sudden influx of bodies. Over the last three days, at least 16 bodies—mostly unidentified or homeless individuals—were recovered from railway station platforms, open roadsides, and beneath flyovers.

Civic officials and railway police suspect severe heatstroke and dehydration as the primary causes, though formal medical audits are ongoing. “Special cooling wards have been activated at government hospitals for hyperpyrexia treatment, and we are working to move vulnerable populations to shelter homes,” a senior civic official from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation said.

Monsoon delay intensifies pre-monsoon systems

The current escalation of the pre-monsoon weather systems is partly linked to the delayed arrival of the southwest monsoon over the mainland. While the IMD had initially expected the monsoon to hit the Kerala coast by May 26, weak moisture currents and an unstable cyclonic circulation over the south-central Arabian Sea slowed its progress.

According to data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), atmospheric indicators now point to an abrupt surge in moisture over South India, East India, and the Bay of Bengal. This atmospheric build-up is acting as fuel for the severe convective storms expected to sweep through central and northern plains over the coming weekend.

Significant drop in mercury by weekend

The weather timeline for May 29 indicates that while western pockets of Rajasthan will continue to face isolated heatwave pockets, vast swathes of Punjab, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh will see temperatures plunge by 3°C to 6°C.

By May 30, the cooling effect will extend to the hill states. Both Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are slated to receive intense hailstorms and squalls, causing a sharp dip in down-valley temperatures. Local administrations in the high-altitude tourist hubs have already issued advisories warning travelers of localized disruptions due to sudden lightning strikes and strong winds.