IMD warns of severe heat waves in northern India as monsoon advances; energy consumption reached a record | Today’s news

NEW DELHI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of severe heat waves in north and central India this week, with record electricity demand underscoring the strain of rising temperatures even as the southwest monsoon advances towards Kerala.

India’s peak power demand hit a new record of 257.37 GW on Monday as heatwaves gripped large parts of north and central India, surpassing the previous high of 256.1 GW recorded on April 25.

In a tweet, the Ministry of Energy said: “Yesterday (Monday) at 15:42 hrs the peak power demand of 257.37 GW was met without any outage. This peak demand was a new high surpassing the previous peak demand of 256.1 GW which was successfully met on 25 April 2026.”

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In addition, non-solar hour demand also hit a new high of 247.21 GW at 10:29 PM on Monday. “The availability of energy in the country is sufficient and robust mechanisms are in place to meet the summer demand,” the ministry added.

The heat wave will intensify

The IMD said heat wave to severe heat wave is likely in northwest and central India in the next few days, especially in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and adjoining states.

West Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are expected to face heatwave to severe heatwave conditions between May 20 and 25, while East Uttar Pradesh and Vidarbha may witness similar conditions from May 20 to 21, after which they will moderate slightly but remain in heatwave conditions till May 25.

Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi are likely to experience heat waves during the 20th-25th. May, with severe heat waves in some areas on May 20, raising concerns about public health, energy demand and water shortages.

Rajasthan is expected to remain in heatwave conditions throughout the week, while isolated areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand may also experience unseasonably high temperatures.

Peninsular India, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam are likely to experience heat waves during the 20th-25th. May, with episodes of intense heat forecast in isolated pockets on the 21st-22nd. May. The IMD has also predicted heat wave in isolated areas of Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Odisha, Marathwada and South West Bihar during different periods this week.

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The extent of the temperature increase is already visible over large parts of the country.

Maximum temperatures on May 18 were in the range of 38-47°C over northwest, west, central, adjoining east and peninsular India. The highest maximum temperature of 47.6°C was reported at Banda in Uttar Pradesh.

The IMD defines a heatwave as temperatures at least 4.5°C above normal, with higher departures classified as severe.

Daytime temperatures on 18 May were significantly above normal (5.1 °C and above) over Jammu and Kashmir; noticeably above normal (3.1 °C to 5.0 °C) over Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Uttar Pradesh; and above normal (1.6 °C to 3.0 °C) over Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, North Chhattisgarh, Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha.

Monsoon is gathering pace

Even as northern and central India swelter in extreme heat, the monsoon is picking up speed over southern waters.

The IMD said conditions are favorable for further advance of southwest monsoon into more parts of southeast Arabian Sea, Comorin region, southwest and southeast Bay of Bengal, remaining areas of Andaman Sea and parts of east-central Bay of Bengal during the next three to four days.

The Met Office said the southwest monsoon is likely to set over Kerala on May 26 with a model margin of error of plus or minus four days, roughly in line with the normal onset window.

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The IMD has also forecast isolated heavy rainfall over Andaman and Nicobar Islands during the week, along with rain activity over the northeast and adjoining eastern India between May 21 and 25, signaling an intensification of pre-monsoon activity as the monsoon progresses north.

The monsoon update comes as the country gears up for the crucial kharif sowing season, which largely depends on the timely arrival and spread of seasonal rainfall.

The southwest monsoon provides nearly 70% of India’s annual rainfall and is critical to farm production, rural income and water reservoirs.

“Early and adequate pre-monsoon moisture will support kharif sowing, especially sugarcane, across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. For the distillery sector, a strong sugarcane crop directly translates into higher availability of molasses and juice, boosting ethanol production,” said Vijendra Singh, President, All India Distillers Association.