NEW DELHI: The IMD in a fresh notice has warned of a heatwave in pockets of Northwest and East India between April 13 to April 19. In an advisory, the IMD has said- “Gradual rise in maximum temperature by 2-4 degrees Celsius over most parts of the country during next 5 days.”

The Weather Watchdog also predicted thunderstorms and strong winds over Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh during the next two days.

“A significantly higher number of heatwave days are predicted over parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana,” IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mahapatra said.

The IMD earlier this month predicted that several parts of the country, barring parts of northwest and peninsular regions, are expected to experience above-normal maximum temperatures from April to June.

According to IMD, India recorded its hottest February this year since record-keeping began in 1901. The prolonged spell of pre-monsoon rain, thunderstorms, hailstorms, and lightning strikes damaged crops in several states in central India.