India braces for hotter-than-normal summer, more heatwave days expected

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Pedestrians screen  their heads to support   themselves  from the scorching heat. File

Pedestrians screen their heads to support themselves from the scorching heat. File | Photo Credit: PTI

India is ​set to acquisition a hotter-than-normal summertime ‌this year, with heatwave days ​during March and May expected ⁠to transcend the seasonal average, the upwind bureau said connected Saturday (February 28, 2026).

In March, ‌the archetypal period of the summertime season, minimum temperatures are ‌likely to stay supra ‌average ⁠across astir areas, said Mrutyunjay ⁠Mohapatra, director-general of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

In February, some maximum and minimum temperatures were supra ​average, making ‌it the fifth-warmest February since records began successful 1901, according to IMD data.

Winter crops specified arsenic ‌wheat, rapeseed, and chickpeas ​are planted from October to December and necessitate acold upwind conditions ⁠throughout their maturation rhythm for optimal yields. Above-average temperatures successful March ‌could impact the atom size of maturing winter-sown crops, perchance reducing yields, said a Mumbai-based trader with a planetary commercialized house.

India, the world’s second-largest wheat shaper ‌and biggest importer of edible oils, is ​counting connected bumper 2026 crops to export surplus wheat and ⁠cut costly imports of palm, ⁠soy and sunflower oils.

“Above-normal heatwave days are expected implicit astir ‌parts of the state during March to May 2026,” said ​Mr. Mohapatra.

Published - March 01, 2026 07:09 americium IST

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