Most parts of India will face above normal temperatures from April to June, with a high probability of heatwave episodes lasting 10 days to 20 days in certain regions, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday.

Gujarat, central Maharashtra, north Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, north Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh were most prone to spells of heatwaves, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the director-general of the weather department, said while releasing the temperature outlook for the April to June period.

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The spells could last 10 days to 20 days against a normal of four days to eight days during the three months, Mohapatra said.

He added that Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, northern Odisha, adjoining Gangetic West Bengal and eastern India regions could experience normal or below normal temperatures.

The India Meteorological Department also predicted that episodes of heatwaves lasting two days to eight days, against a normal of one days to three days, were most likely to affect Andhra Pradesh, Saurashtra-Kutch, Maharashtra and western regions of Madhya Pradesh in April.

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It said that temperatures during the day in April are likely to remain significantly high in Madhya Pradesh, north and coastal Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar islands, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

Rainfall associated with pre-monsoon conditions is also expected to be below normal in most regions during this period, Mohapatra said. He added that aridity and shortage of water would add to the overall increased heating forecast.

“We cannot attribute a single phenomenon for the prolonged heatwave spells,” Mohapatra said. “But during El Niño years, the number and intensity of heatwaves remain higher than normal.”

The El Niño phenomenon involves warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific that typically occurs every few years and has been linked to crop damage, fires and flash floods.