More than 100 dead as stifling heat grips India

By Eric Leister, Meteorologist

April 20,2016; 11:33AM,EDT

 

 

Blistering heat is common across India ahead of the yearly monsoon rains; however, temperatures are soaring earlier than normal this year.
Intense heat has sliced through the country, with impacts being felt from Hyderabad to Kolkata and New Delhi.
The heat has already claimed the lives of more than 160 people, according to the Associated Press
The heat has also forced the closure of schools in Orissa until at least April 26, the AP reported.

"The heat will remain in place into May with monsoonal rains not bringing any long-lasting relief until June," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said.
"A trough moving from Pakistan into southern China will bring brief relief to parts of the northwest this weekend causing temperatures to fall to more seasonable levels."
This relief will reach New Delhi, where daily high temperatures will fall to near 38 C (100 F) on Saturday and Sunday.
Heat will slowly rebuild northward next week, however, causing temperatures to reach 41-43 C (106-110 F) again.
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High pressure centered over the western Bay of Bengal will continue to dominate southern and eastern India resulting in scorching heat with no significant relief expected through the end of April.
Near- to above-normal temperatures are forecast across most of India during the month of May as the monsoon rains typically don't arrive until late in the month for the far southeast.
Monsoonal rains will spread relief from southeast to northwest across India during the month of June, finally bringing an end to the deadly heat.
Temperatures have already broken all-time record highs in Kannur, Mangalore, Kozhikode and Ahmednagar.
A premonsoon heat wave in 2015 killed around 2,500 people before relief arrived in June.