South peninsular India records warmest June since 1901: IMD

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said that southern peninsular India recorded the warmest June since 1901 as the region saw the average maximum temperature of 34.05 degrees Celsius. The region also clocked the third-highest average minimum temperature for June since 1901 at 26.04 degrees Celsius, the weather office said. 

According to the IMD, the average mean temperature for the month was 30.05 degrees Celsius, the highest since 1901. The maximum temperature was above normal by 4.4 degrees Celsius mainly over most parts of East and Northeast India, South Peninsular India, and some parts of Northwest and Central India. 

South Peninsular India received 88.6 mm of rainfall in June, the lowest since 1901. The normal rainfall for June for the region is 161 mm. "Rainfall over homogeneous region of south peninsular India (88.6 mm) was lowest since 1901. The previous lowest rainfall value was 90.7 mm observed in the year 1976," the department said in its monthly weather review released on Tuesday. 

Over East and Northeast India during June, the average maximum temperature is the third highest (33.87 degrees Celsius with an anomaly of 1.73 degrees Celsius) after the years 1979 (34.47 degrees Celsius), 1958 (34.26 degrees Celsius) since 1901. 

The average minimum temperature was the second highest (25.11 degrees Celsius with an anomaly of 1.00 degrees Celsius) after the year 1958 (25.14 deg Celsius) since 1901 for east and northeast India. The mean temperature is the third highest (29.49 degrees Celsius with an anomaly of 1.37 degrees Celsius) after the years 1958 (29.70 degrees Celsius), 1979 (29.53 degrees Celsius) since 1901 for east and northeast India. 

Eastern parts of the country were worst affected in June, with significantly higher than the normal heat wave days observed over the region. Heatwave to severe heatwave was observed on almost all dates from June 1 to 22 over Bihar, June 1 to 18 over West Bengal, and June 12 to 21 over East Uttar Pradesh. 
However, northwest and adjoining central parts of India comprising Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Gujarat saw almost no occurrence of any heatwave conditions. 

The weather office said warmer than normal temperatures (both for maximum and minimum temperatures) were observed throughout the country during several days in June this year, mainly from June 5-24. 

(With inputs from PTI)