Kerala, Coastal Karnataka, Goa and parts of North-East India along may witness thundershowers for next seven days (in blue) while most of rest of the country may experience dry and hot conditions. | Photo Credit: www.windy.com

Global model forecasts indicate parts of North-West India and Central India will continue to witness heat wave conditions into next week as a red-hot anticyclone pushes dry and hot winds from its base partly over the Arabian Sea and the Mumbai-Konkan coast. The odd thunderstorm may not help much to beat the heat.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) said heat wave conditions may prevail over pockets of East Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh for the next four days; West Madhya Pradesh for three days; and Odisha, Jharkhand, Marathwada, Madhya Maharashtra, North Interior Karnataka and Rayalaseema for two days.

Anticyclone movement

This will happen as the heat-engine anticyclone moves east from its current base over the north-east Arabian Sea and adjoining Konkan-Mumbai across Peninsular India and sets up its next base over the Bay of Bengal during this week and into the next, according to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

Hot and humid weather conditions may prevail in isolated pockets along the coast over Odisha for the next seven days; Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Mahe and Coastal Karnataka for five days; Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam for the next four days; plains of West Bengal for four days from Sunday; coastal Gujarat for three days; and Konkan and Goa for two days, the IMD update said on Thursday afternoon.

Need to heat up

Heat-builder anticyclone features sinking motion of air in which the airmass sits over the ground and builds pressure to create dry and hot conditions. In contrast, a cyclonic motion will feature ascending motion of air (low-pressure area) that helps to bring down pressure and help form clouds, convection and rain.

Both North-West India and Central India will need to heat up to required levels during the summer to ensure suitable temperature and pressure gradients vis-a-vis the nearby oceans (Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal). Monsoon winds carrying moisture blow in along these gradients (channels) to rain it down over land. The IMD’s first long-range forecast has indicated that the country may record a below-normal monsoon this year.

Published on April 16, 2026