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Even as heavy rains have wreaked havoc in Maharashtra and southern states, including Karnataka and Kerala, several north and central Indian states are in the grip of a searing heatwave.

The IMD has predicted rainfall to continue in Karnataka and Maharashtra in the coming days, according the department’s extended range forecast, the monsoon is now likely to cover the remaining parts of central and eastern India and some areas of northwest India by June 18. It is expected to advance over most of northwest India between June 19 and June 25.

An IMD official told PTI that the system is likely to reach Delhi by June 22-23, ahead of the normal onset date of June 30.

The southwest monsoon usually makes its onset over Kerala by June 1, reaches Mumbai by June 11 and covers the entire country by July 8. It starts retreating from northwest India around September 17 and withdraws completely by October 15.

Also read: Heavy rains lash Mumbai; ‘yellow’ alert for city, ‘orange’ for neighbouring districts

8 dead in Maharashtra, red alert in 2 districts

At least eight people were killed, mostly due to lightning strikes, and 10 suffered injuries as heavy rains lashed parts of Maharashtra.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for the coastal districts of Ratnagiri and Raigad and an orange alert for Palghar, Thane, and Sindhudurg, and ghat areas of Pune, Satara and Kolhapur.

Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been stationed for rescue operations.

As per the state disaster management report, Ratnagiri recorded the highest rainfall at 88.1 mm, followed by Raigad with 65.3 mm, Sindhudurg with 43.8 mm, Thane with 29.6 mm, and Yavatmal with 27.5 mm, in 24 hours ending at 11 am.

According to officials, most of the fatalities due to lightning strikes were reported in Mumbai, Sindhudurg, Dhule, Nashik, Sambhajinagar, Nandurbar, and Amravati, they said.

In Pune, several people are feared dead after an iron bridge collapsed over the Indrayani River. The river was in spate due to heavy rains in the region. While several people have been injured in the incident, many are said to be trapped under the debris of the collapsed bridge.

Landslides, waterlogging in Karnataka

Normal life was affected as heavy rains brought along waterlogging and landslides in the southern state on Sunday.

While coastal Karnataka is battered due to torrential rains, the Krishna River is in spate in Yadgir district due to the downpour in neighbouring Maharashtra.

IMD said different parts of the Dakshina Kannada district received 110 to 210 mm of rainfall in 24 hours.

Mangaruru, the district headquarters town of kannada, recorded 170 mm of rain, while panammbur observatory in the same district recorded 210 mm of rain. The Neighbouring Udupi District too Got 50 mm of rain.

Also read: Body of Army soldier found in Sikkim landslide site

Waterlogging was also reported from several urban pockets of Mangaluru. A landslide occurred near Kettikallu along National Highway-169, in Mangaluru taluk.

IMD Issued on Sunday, Forecasting Thunderstorms with Lightning in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru

The IMD has predicted continued rainfall along the Karnataka coast in the coming days. District administrations of the coastal district and Chikkamagaluru have advised the public to avoid waterlogged and landslide-prone areas. They urged people to report emergencies to local disaster response units.

Farmers in several rain-hit regions suffered crop loss.

Heavy rains to lash Kerala till June 18

Heavy rains battered Kerala on Sunday, with muddles, waterlogging and uprooting of trees being reported from several highland and coastal regions.

The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall across the state till June 18. A red alert has been issued for Wayanad, Kannuar and Kasargod districts on June 18 while an orange alert has been issued for Pathanmthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur and Palakkad districts on June 16 and 17. An orange alert has also been issued for Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod on June 18.

Also read: 28 killed in flash floods, landslides over two days as heavy rains pound Northeast

The weather department has also warned of squally weather till June 18, with fishermen advised against venturing into the sea during this period.

Downpour, thunderstorms in Andhra

The IMD has also predicted heavy rainfall and thunderstorms at isolated places across Andhra Pradesh for five days till June 19.

The weather department has forecast heavy rainfall over North Coastal Andhra Pradesh (NCAP) and Yanam on June 15 and 16, accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds of speed up to 50 kmph.

“Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning are likely at isolated places over NCAP, Yanam, SCAP, and Rayalaseema,” said a press release from the Meteorological Centre, Amaravati.

Strong surface winds ranging from 30–50 kmph are likely to prevail across all four regions during the forecast period, with higher speeds expected in coastal belts.

From June 17 to 19, thunderstorms are expected to continue, with gusty winds persisting at isolated locations, including SCAP, Rayalaseema, and NCAP, said the department.

The Met department also observed a cyclonic circulation over the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas, tilting southwestward with height, between 3.1 and 7.6 km above mean sea level.

Heatwave blisters north, central India

A relentless heatwave has been scorching large swathes of north and central India for the past one week with maximum temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius in several cities and high temperatures reported in parts of the hilly states.

IMD said maximum temperatures remained more than 5.1 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya and at isolated places in sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.

Also read: Mumbai witnesses slight respite after heavy downpour, flooding

Temperatures were also appreciably above normal in many areas of Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir. Experts warn that persistent heat in these hilly regions could lead to faster glacier melt, increase the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and intensify forest fire vulnerability.

Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar and Churu were among the hottest places in the country on Saturday, each recording a maximum of 46.5 degrees Celsius, 5 and 4.1 degrees above normal, respectively.

In Uttar Pradesh, Prayagraj and Kanpur recorded highs of 45 and 44.9 degrees Celsius, while Ghazipur (44.5) logged a departure of 6.3 degrees above normal. In Madhya Pradesh, Hoshangabad reported 45.2 degrees Celsius, followed by Khajuraho (44.7 degrees), Nowgong (44.6 degrees) and Gwalior (42.5 degrees).

Rohtak in Haryana recorded 44.3 degrees Celsius, while Chandigarh reported 42.2 degrees Celsius. In Punjab, Patiala and Amritsar saw temperatures of 42.6 and 42 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Mercury goes up in hill states

India experienced a relatively cooler May this year due to the early arrival of the monsoon and frequent thunderstorms in the northwest and central regions.

But a sharp drop in rainfall since early June has caused temperatures to rise rapidly, triggering widespread heatwave conditions since June 8-9.

Even parts of the hill states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir have been experiencing hotter-than-usual weather over the last few days.

Experts warn that outdoor workers, the elderly, and children are at high risk of heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

Also read: Battered by heavy rains, Mumbai braces for more as IMD issues red alert

Rains bring respite for Delhiites

Delhi also experienced scorching conditions, with maximum temperatures of 42.2 degrees Celsius at Aya Nagar and 42 degrees Celsius at Palam. The heat index, a measure of how hot it feels when humidity is factored in, soared to an alarming 53.8 degrees Celsius in Delhi.

Rains, however, brought slight respite to the national capital on Sunday with the IMD predicting more showers from June 16 to 22.

Monsoon arrival in MP likely by next weekend

The southwest monsoon is expected to arrive in Madhya Pradesh by next weekend, marking a one-week delay, amid intensified rain activity, according to the Meteorological Department.

Considering the advancement of the rain-bearing system and favourable conditions, the monsoon is likely to enter Madhya Pradesh, possibly from Chhindwara, Balaghat, and Dindori districts by June 21-22, IMD Bhopal Centre’s forecast in-charge Arun Sharma told PTI.

Also read: Kerala imposes 52-day trawling ban from today to protect marine life

He said rain activities are likely to intensify in the next 24 to 48 hours in Central Maharashtra and cover parts of Gujarat.

Sharma said the monsoon normally enters MP by June 15 and covers the entire state, barring the north region, by June 19.

Showers in Jharkhand

The southwest monsoon is likely to arrive in Jharkhand between June 17-19, with forecasts for widespread rainfall during the period, a weather department official said on Sunday.

A ‘yellow’ alert (heavy rainfall) has been issued for Monday in some pockets of southwest and central parts of the state, while an ‘orange’ alert (heavy to very heavy rainfall) was sounded for two days from June 17 in parts of southwest and central Jharkhand, he said.

“Pre-monsoon activity is likely in Jharkhand from Sunday. Conditions appear favourable for onset onset of monsoon between June 17 and June 19,” Deputy Director of Ranchi Meteorological Centre, Abhishek Anand, told PTI.

The monsoon hit Kerala on May 24 this year, a week ahead of schedule.

“The state is likely to witness widespread rainfall from June 17 to June 20, and some pockets in southwest and central parts may see heavy to very heavy rainfall,” Anand said.

(With inputs from agencies)