As voters gear up for the second phase of the 18th Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April 26, they must endure scorching heat waves when stepping out to exercise their right to vote.
According to the warning issued by the IMD on Thursday, severe heatwave conditions are expected in regions such as West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh over the next five days.
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Additionally, a red alert has been issued for West Bengal and Odisha, with an orange alert issued for Bihar and parts of Karnataka. The weather is expected add to the inconvenience of people in some places due to high humidity. In the second phase of voting on Friday, 88 parliamentary constituencies in 12 States/UTs, along with one part PC (Outer Manipur) will vote for their representatives in the Lok Sabha.
During this phase, there are 20 seats up for grabs in Kerala, 14 in Karnataka, 13 in Rajasthan, and so on. Some areas might get a bit of relief from the heat with strong winds, light rain, and thunderstorms expected in parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh on Friday.
Notably, this marks the second heatwave spell of the month. Heatwave conditions have persisted in Odisha since April 15 and in Gangetic West Bengal since April 17, according to the Meteorological Office. Additionally, warm nighttime conditions are expected in Odisha from April 27 to 29. High nighttime temperatures can be risky as our bodies struggle to cool down.
The phenomenon of rising nighttime heat is more common in cities due to the urban heat island effect, where metropolitan areas are significantly warmer than their surroundings.
A heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature of a weather station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees in coastal areas, and 30 degrees in hilly regions, with a deviation from normal of at least 4.5 notches. If the deviation from normal exceeds 6.4 notches, it’s classified as a severe heatwave.
Despite El Niño weakening, the weather experts warned earlier of extreme heat during the April-June period, coinciding with seven phase Lok Sabha elections. The first phase already took place on April 19.
According to the Met Office, April is expected to see four to eight heatwave days across different parts of the country, compared to the normal range of one to three days. Moreover, for the entire April-June period, ten to twenty heatwave days are anticipated, surpassing the normal range of four to eight days.
Specific regions likely to experience a higher number of heatwave days include Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Maharashtra, Vidarbha, Marathwada, Bihar, and Jharkhand. Some areas may even witness more than 20 heatwave days.