Heatwaves Arrive Early in India, Raising Fears That Spring Is Disappearing

On a March afternoon when many in northern India still expect a faint chill, ceiling fans were whirring in the hill town of Kangra and shopkeepers in central Delhi stood under awnings to escape the sun.

In the first half of March, large parts of India slipped into what the India Meteorological Department (IMD) defines as heatwave and even severe heatwave conditions, with temperatures climbing 4 to 10 degrees Celsius above normal from the Himalayas to the Konkan coast. The episode has arrived weeks before what most Indians think of as summer and is sharpening a question scientists and forecasters have been asking for several years: Is the country’s short, mild spring season disappearing?

The IMD confirmed heatwave conditions in several regions between March 5 and March 11, including the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, the Konkan–Goa belt and parts of Gujarat and Vidarbha in Maharashtra. Major cities such as Mumbai and Delhi also saw unusual spikes. At the same time, the agency has projected more heatwave days than average from March through May, indicating that the early-season flare-up is likely a prelude rather than an anomaly.

Heatwave before Holi

The first warnings came out of western India. Around March 4, the IMD’s regional center in Mumbai issued the season’s initial heatwave alert for Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Palghar as temperatures began to climb.

By March 5 and 6, the Santacruz weather station in Mumbai had recorded a maximum of around 38.9°C, at least 5°C above normal for the time of year and the city’s hottest day of 2026 so far. A few days later, on March 9 and 10, the suburban maximum touched about 40°C, roughly 7.5°C above normal.

In its special temperature bulletin dated March 11, the IMD listed the Konkan–Goa meteorological subdivision under “Heat Wave: YES,” with North Konkan stations reporting 37–40°C and “markedly above normal” departures. In Dahanu, a coastal town north of Mumbai, the mercury reached 40°C, nearly 10°C above the long-period average — a level the IMD categorizes as a severe heatwave for coastal locations.

Farther north, a national weather bulletin issued March 8 noted “heat wave to severe heat wave conditions in isolated pockets over Himachal Pradesh” and heatwave conditions over Vidarbha on March 7 and 8. For a state better known for late winter snowfall and cool March evenings, the language was unusual.

Down To Earth, a science and environment magazine, reported that it was the first time in five years Himachal Pradesh had recorded a severe heatwave in the first week of March, with some mid-hill stations running 6 to 8°C above normal.

Delhi and parts of northwest India were not under formal heatwave warnings but still ran well above seasonal norms. An IMD press release on March 8 forecast maximum temperatures of 34–38°C in the capital between March 9 and 11 and said maximums across Delhi would be “appreciably to markedly above normal,” meaning at least 3–5°C higher than the climatological average. Some stations were reported to be 7–10°C above normal around March 9.

In Gujarat, the IMD’s heatwave guidance said heatwave to severe heatwave conditions were likely to continue across the state from March 11 to 13, with maximum temperatures crossing 40°C in places such as Ahmedabad and other interior districts.

What counts as a heatwave

Operationally, the IMD declares a heatwave in the plains when the maximum temperature reaches at least 40°C and is 4.5–6.4°C above normal. A severe heatwave is declared when the departure is 6.5°C or more. For coastal stations, where normal maximums are lower and humidity higher, the threshold is generally 37°C, with at least two stations in a region recording a departure of 4.5°C or more above normal.

In hill states such as Himachal Pradesh, the agency relies more on anomalies than absolute temperatures because seasonal norms are lower; a 6°C spike there can be as physiologically stressful as temperatures in the low 40s on the plains.

By those definitions, multiple areas qualified in early March. The IMD’s bulletins pointed to markedly above-normal maximums across Konkan–Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Vidarbha, with several locations meeting the criteria for severe heatwave conditions.

A shortening season

The early onset follows several years in which forecasters, climatologists and residents have remarked that spring — traditionally a brief period of mild, dry weather between winter and the pre-monsoon heat — seems to be shrinking.

In late February, IMD Director General of Meteorology Mrutyunjay Mohapatra warned that India was likely to see “an above-normal number of heatwave days over most parts of the country between March and May,” including much of east and east-central India and parts of the northwest and west-central regions. He said the hotter-than-usual season could affect public health, agriculture, water availability and power demand.

Earlier this year, IMD and independent experts had already noted warmer and drier winter conditions, particularly in northern and central India, where rainfall deficits since December have reduced the cooling influence of western disturbances — low-pressure systems that typically bring winter rain and snow.

Longer-term data show that average March-to-May temperatures across large swathes of northwest, north-central and northeast India have risen by roughly 0.1–0.3°C per decade since 1980. Several studies have projected a sharp increase in the number of “oppressive” heatwave days over the subcontinent by the end of the century if global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.

Health, classrooms and crops

The early heatwave is testing preparedness in multiple sectors.

State health departments in Odisha and Telangana convened meetings in early March on heatstroke prevention. Officials in Odisha directed district hospitals to earmark beds for heat-related illnesses, ensure adequate supplies of cooling equipment, drinking water and oral rehydration salts, and step up public awareness drives on recognizing and treating heat exhaustion.

Public advisories from the IMD and state agencies have urged people to avoid going out during peak afternoon hours, wear light, loose-fitting clothing and increase water intake as temperatures rise.

Children and outdoor workers are among the most exposed. In Telangana, education authorities announced that government and private schools would shift to half-day schedules from March 16 through April 23 because of rising daytime temperatures. In previous years, several states have adjusted exam calendars and work hours under their heat action plans, recommending that heavy outdoor labour be avoided during the hottest part of the day.

Farmers in the northern plains and central India are also watching thermometers closely. Early March coincides with the grain-filling stage for wheat, mustard and pulses in key producing states such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Agronomists say abnormally high temperatures during this period can force crops to mature too quickly, reducing grain size and yields while increasing irrigation needs and pest pressure.

A record-hot March in 2022 contributed to lower wheat output and prompted restrictions on exports, adding to domestic and global price concerns. With forecasters warning that above-normal heat is likely to persist into April, officials and farmers fear a repeat if relief does not arrive soon.

Power and urban discomfort

Early-season heat also tends to push up electricity demand as households and businesses turn on fans, coolers and air conditioners earlier in the year.

In recent summers, heatwaves have driven sharp spikes in peak power demand, stressing coal stocks and transmission infrastructure. India has rapidly expanded its solar power capacity, which can help meet daytime cooling loads, but evening demand often remains challenging without sufficient storage or flexible backup generation.

In cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad, the impact is felt most in low-income neighbourhoods where homes are densely packed, ventilation is poor and access to mechanical cooling is limited. Coastal locations such as Goa and Mumbai have faced relatively lower absolute temperatures than inland hotspots, but high humidity drives heat index values — the “feels like” temperature — into the high 30s and low 40s.

In Panaji, the capital of Goa, maximum temperatures in early March hovered around 31–32°C, but local reports noted that humidity pushed the heat index to about 37°C by late morning and near 41°C in the afternoon.

A prologue to summer

By March 11 and 12, IMD bulletins showed a gradual easing of heatwave warnings in some regions even as temperatures remained above normal for the season. The agency’s longer-range outlook, however, suggests that much of India is likely to face more frequent and intense hot days through May.

For residents, the experience is less about technical thresholds and more about what the calendar feels like. In some hill towns this year, the usual transition from woolens to cottons appears to have been compressed into days rather than weeks. In coastal and inland cities alike, what used to be described as “pleasant” March weather is increasingly being compared to late April or May.

Meteorologists say no single warm spell can be attributed solely to climate change, but the pattern of hotter pre-monsoon months, fewer cool days and earlier heatwaves is consistent with what climate models have projected for South Asia.

If that pattern holds, the few weeks Indians once called spring may continue to contract, as the country adapts to summers that now seem to start before Holi and linger well into what used to be the monsoon’s cool tail.