Warm nights add to discomfort as Indore braces for start of Nautapa

Indore: Indoreans continued to experience intense summer discomfort on Sunday as rising humidity and unusually warm nights added to the heat stress ahead of the beginning of Nautapa from Monday.

While the city recorded a marginal drop in day temperature, the night temperature climbed further above normal level, making conditions uncomfortable even after sunset.

According to the weather centre at the airport, the maximum temperature on Sunday was recorded at 40.9 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal and slightly lower than Saturday’s 41 degrees Celsius. However, the minimum temperature rose sharply to 28.2 degrees Celsius, which was three degrees above normal and around one degree higher than the previous night.

The rise in humidity has further increased discomfort across the city. Weather officials said humidity levels touched 64 percent on Sunday, leading to sticky conditions throughout the day. Residents reported sweating and discomfort from morning till late night as warm winds and moisture combined to create sultry weather conditions.

Meteorologists said there is no possibility of any major change in weather conditions during the next five days. Nautapa, traditionally considered the hottest phase of summer in central India, will begin on May 25 and continue till June 2. According to earlier forecasts issued by IMD Bhopal, the first half of Nautapa is expected to remain extremely hot across western Madhya Pradesh, including Indore division, with heatwave likely in several areas.

At the same time, weather experts said increasing moisture levels may help trigger pre-monsoon activity towards the end of Nautapa. Forecast indicates chances of cloudy skies and isolated light rain between May 31 and June 2 due to western disturbances and moisture incursion over the region.

The weather office said westerly winds with speeds reaching up to 43 kilometres per hour prevailed over the city on Sunday. Officials added that the increasing moisture in the atmosphere may later become favourable for rain as monsoon conditions gradually advance over southern parts of the country.