India, April 5 -- India's average maximum temperature was close to normal in March, a trend that has continued in the first three days of April. This might seem at odds with reports of heat waves in parts of the country. What explains this?

An HT analysis had earlier explained the reason behind India's average temperature appearing benign in March for the month up to March 20. Extending this analysis for the period starting March 21 suggests that the trend seen in early March continued. Some places remained warmer and others cooler throughout the period starting March 21. Others have flipped between being warmer and cooler than normal. This was the result of rainfall and the wind patterns that western disturbances produce in north-wester...