Ahmedabad: India has experienced a scorching April with no pre-monsoon storms for the fifth year in a row, according to private weather website Skymet. This lack of storms, which typically originate in the Bay of Bengal and bring some relief from the heat, is being linked to the rising temperatures in eastern and southern India. 

These pre-monsoon storms usually form over the southeast Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, initially moving northwest before curving towards Myanmar and Bangladesh. While their paths can be unpredictable, they generally offer some respite from the pre-monsoon heat. The Arabian Sea also witnesses similar storm patterns, with the potential to impact coastlines from Gujarat to Oman and Yemen.   

The absence of these storms is particularly concerning as some parts of India, like Andhra Pradesh, are already facing a significant rainfall deficit (70%) for the period January-April. This lack of pre-monsoon rain could exacerbate water scarcity and further elevate temperatures in the coming months. 

The last major pre-monsoon storm to hit India in April was the extremely severe cyclonic storm “Fani” in the Bay of Bengal in 2019. Since then, there have been no such storms in April, with only three cyclones originating over the Bay of Bengal in the entire period between 2009 and 2024 (Bijli-2009, Maarutha-2017, and Fani-2019).  

The lack of pre-monsoon storms is a cause for concern, potentially leading to a hotter summer and impacting water availability in some parts of the country.