In March, yellow alert for rain replaces yellow alert for heat | Goa News
Panaji: This March was one of the hottest in recent years for the people of Goa, with heatwave-like conditions affecting the state for much of the month. A prolonged period of hot and humid weather gripped the state, resulting in the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a yellow heat alert for 15 consecutive days, from March 2 to March 16.
The hot spell began with extreme temperatures, with the warmest day recorded on March 2 in the state capital, Panaji. The IMD reported a temperature of 37°C, which was 4.4°C above the usual average for that day.
Throughout the heatwave-like conditions, the maximum temperatures hovered between 34°C and 36°C, but the combination of intense heat and high humidity made the ‘feels like’ temperatures reach 40-42°C, according to the central IMD’s observations.
The heat persisted until the latter part of the month when unseasonal rainfall started to make an appearance. From March 25 onwards, parts of Goa received light rainfall, with yellow alerts for heat replaced by yellow alerts for rainfall. These were issued on March 25, 26, 29, 30, and 31.
The state received a cumulative 6mm of rainfall from March 1 to 30. While this rain brought some relief from the scorching heat, it was not enough to drastically alter the high temperatures, as no large changes in the maximum and minimum temperatures were observed by the IMD during this time.
As Goa enters one of the peak summer months of April, the IMD has issued a weather warning for the first few days, with light to moderate rainfall expected over both North and South Goa districts. Scattered light to moderate rainfall is likely over the state on April 1, with thunderstorms accompanied by winds gusting to 40-50 km/h expected at isolated places.
From April 2-3, fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall is expected over both districts. Thunderstorms, with winds gusting to 40-50km/h, are also expected at isolated locations. On April 4 and 5, the weather is expected to be dry, with no significant rainfall anticipated. Maximum temperatures are expected to range between 33°C and 35°C over the next seven days.
The IMD has also noted the presence of a trough extending from interior Odisha to the Comorin area, running through south Chhattisgarh, interior Maharashtra, and interior Karnataka at a height of 0.9 km above mean sea level, which may influence weather conditions over the coming days.
