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Informist, Wednesday, Apr. 22, 2026

 

MUMBAI – Many parts of the country have recorded hot weather in the second half of April with temperature crossing 40 degrees Celsius in parts of Maharashtra, East Uttar Pradesh, East Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Delhi, private weather forecasting agency Skymet said. These weather conditions have been triggered by the heat dome effect, and are not part of the seasonal progression of heat, the weather agency said.

 

A heat dome is a weather phenomenon which occurs when an area of high pressure traps warm air over a region for an extended period of time. Heat domes are typically associated with minimal cloud cover and clear skies, which allow the unhindered penetration of solar radiation to the earth's surface, raising temperature, the weather agency said. The high atmospheric pressure area acts akin to a lid on the atmosphere and causes warm air to be pushed downward, causing sinking motion of the air column, resulting in warming of the air parcel, the agency said. 

 

Typically, high pressure is generated in the middle parts of the atmosphere due to the presence of an anticyclone, or a pattern which rotates winds in a clockwise direction. It suppresses any vertical upward motion and retards convective activity, if any.

 

An anticyclonic circulation currently lies over interior Maharashtra and adjoining Telangana and Madhya Pradesh, extending to parts of north interior Karnataka, the weather agency said. This weather system has been active over these regions, with minor oscillations, for the past seven days. The presence of this system is increasing temperatures over central parts of the country, with a spill-over to the flanks, both towards north and south India, the agency said.

 

Hot weather due to a heat dome effect is unlike normal heatwave conditions, the weather agency said. Heatwaves are periods of excessively hot weather, which are not necessarily caused by stationary high pressure systems. Normal heat waves can be a result of multiple factors, and they generally last for a few days. The accumulation of heat due to a heatwave triggers convective activity, and the heat is transferred further up into the atmosphere with thunderstorm activity, the agency said.

 

On the contrary, a heat dome restricts the vertical movement of air. Consequently, hot conditions may persist for an undefined period over a large area, the weather agency said. These sprawling zones of hot air result in a combination of blistering temperatures, drought conditions and wildfires.  End

 

Reported by Shreya Shetty

Edited by Deepshikha Bhardwaj

 

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