India's Summer 2022: These Places Likely to Witness Warmer Days; South India To be Wetter This Year

It's officially pre-monsoon season! Sunny days are on the way, with temperatures rising once more across India. Furthermore, the months of March to May have a significant probability of seeing heat wave-like conditions.

While the overall weather forecast throughout the country will be similar, the daytime and nighttime temperatures, as well as the projected rainfall, will differ from region to region.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has released a seasonal forecast for March to May 2022. In doing so, the weather body has continued the trend it began in 2016, of issuing seasonal predictions on a subdivision scale for hot, cold, and rainy weather seasons.

Here’s what the weather outlook for March to May 2022 says:

Summer days will be hotter in North, West, and Central India

The northern parts of India will soon have to embrace warm weather after experiencing prolonged winter days and active wet spells as a result of multiple western disturbances.

Along with the country's northwest and northernmost regions, West and Central India are expected to see above-average daytime temperatures. As a result, states and territories such as Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra may experience more intense summer heat than normal.

On the other hand, maximum temperatures in South, East, and Northeast India will remain far below normal in the coming months, making summer days slightly warmer.

Minimum temperatures are likely to be higher than normal in numerous sections of northwest and in some areas along the Himalayan foothills.

A similar spike is anticipated to be observed across most of the northeast, as well as certain areas of the central and eastern coastal regions.

Temperature outlook for March

Meanwhile, maximum temperatures in the Southern Peninsula and East-Northeast India are expected to be average to slightly below normal. Warmer temperatures, on the other hand, are expected to scorch regions of Western and Central India.

However, the probability of frequent heat waves in Northwest and Central India, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh, will be low throughout March. Heat waves are declared when the local temperature is projected to exceed 40°C while also rising by more than 5°Cover the region's normal temperature.

In March, nighttime temperatures will be normal to below normal in most parts of India, with the exception of the East, Southeast, and Northwest peninsula.

Pre-monsoon rain forecast for March

In terms of rainfall, most areas of northwest, central, and northeast India will experience dry weather in March. In contrast, a significant amount of rain is expected to drench parts of the Southern Peninsula.

Indeed, the region is set to start the month on a wet note, with the IMD predicting an active and severe rain period over South India — particularly Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh — during the first week of March.

These conditions will be created due to the formation of a strong low-pressure system in central Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Equatorial Indian Ocean.

In general, the country is anticipated to experience moderate rainfall in March. Precipitation will be 83-117 % of the Long Period Average (LPA) for March, which is 30.4 mm based on 1961-2010 data.