New Delhi: As we step into May, the hope is that the weather will be kinder than what was experienced in most parts of the country in April.
An intense and unusual heatwave swept across northwest, central and eastern India since mid-April, with the mercury touching 40 to 46°C in many areas and peaking at 46.9°C in Maharashtra on April 27. In Odisha, Jharsuguda saw the hottest day of the season with a temperature of 45.3°C on April 28.
Will May be as unbearable as April?
There seems to be respite on the cards. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), average rainfall in May in India is most likely to be above normal, barring some parts of east, northeast and east central Ind
ia, where below-normal rainfall is expected.
In April, rainfall over the country as a whole was 11% below normal, whereas it was 7.4% in excess in northwest India.
The onset of the southwest monsoon over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands this year is expected around May 14-16, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said on Friday.
However, above-normal heatwave days are likely in some parts of the foothills of the Himalayas, east coast states, Gujarat and Maharashtra in May.
“During May 2026, minimum temperatures are expected to be above normal across many parts of the country. However, many areas of northwest India, along with some parts of central India and adjoining areas of peninsular India and southern parts of northeast India, are likely to experience normal to below-normal minimum temperatures,”
Currently, El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-neutral conditions over the equatorial Pacific are evolving towards El Niño conditions, which means the periodic warming of waters in the central Pacific Ocean.
The latest Monsoon Mission Coupled Forecasting System forecast indicates the development of El Niño conditions during the southwest monsoon season, according to the IMD.