Brace for a hot spring, sizzling summer: Met

Be prepared for a hot spring and a scorching summer. The Met office says average temperatures from March to May across half the country are likely to be above normal by more than 1 degree Celsius.

The forecast projects higher than normal temperature across the country but these months are expected to be particularly merciless in north India. Delhi, along with Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, is likely to see average temperatures soar over 1.5 degrees above normal. The maximum rise, however, has been projected in the hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where average temperatures could be a massive 2.3 degrees higher than usual.

The seasonal forecast, released by the India Meteorological Department on Wednesday, also notes that there is about 52% probability that maximum temperatures in the core heat wave zone during March to May will touch their peak—pointing to a high likelihood of heat waves.

This zone includes Delhi, Punjab, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, UP, Gujarat, MP, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Bengal, Orissa and Telangana, Marathwada, Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra and coastal Andhra.