New Delhi, March 11 -- India recorded its first widespread heatwave episode of the year on Wednesday, with severe conditions sweeping across Gujarat's Saurashtra and Kutch region, as experts warned that the shrinking window between winter and summer is becoming a pattern driven by climate change. Heat wave to severe heat wave conditions prevailed at many places over Saurashtra and Kutch and at a few places over the Gujarat region, while isolated heat wave conditions were reported over Vidarbha, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Although isolated heatwave conditions were reported from Vidarbha earlier this month, Wednesday marked the first episode of widespread heat over the western parts of the country. An anti-cyclone over Rajasthan is driving dry and hot winds towards Gujarat, causing subsidence of air over the region, said Mahesh Palawat, vice president, climate and meteorology, at Skymet Weather. He added the pattern has become recurrent. "We have been seeing this happen in the later part of March over some parts of western India." More striking, Palawat said, is the disappearing spring. "It is almost over. The transition from winter to summer is very quick," he said, pointing to a trend visible in recent years. Maximum temperatures were in the range of 38-42degC at many places over Gujarat, West Rajasthan and Vidarbha, at a few places over Madhya Pradesh and Marathwada, and at isolated places over Chhattisgarh and Odisha. In Delhi, maximum temperatures ranged between 35-38degC. Day temperatures were markedly above normal - exceeding the average by more than 5.1degC - at most places over Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, West Rajasthan and East Rajasthan, and at many places over Punjab, Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch. Temperatures were appreciably above normal - by 3.1degC to 5.0degC - at many places over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, and at a few places over Madhya Maharashtra and Coastal Karnataka. "Such heat wave episodes in March are normal and we had forecast it well in advance," said M Mohapatra, director general, IMD. Heat wave to severe heat wave conditions are likely to continue over Gujarat till March 13, while isolated heavy rainfall is expected over Arunachal Pradesh during March 12-14 and over Assam and Meghalaya during March 13-15, the weather department said. IMD defines a heatwave when the maximum temperature reaches 45degC in the plains or when daytime temperature exceeds the normal by 4.5degC. The early onset of heat carries significant implications for India's power infrastructure. This summer, heat may be as intense as or worse than 2024, which was the warmest year on record for India and globally, and power demand is expected to surpass last year's levels, experts said. The predictions holds significance at a time India's energy imports -- the country depends on overseas suppliers for 85% of its oil and gas requirements -- have been hit by the conflict between Iran and the US and Israel. A petroleum and gas ministry official on Wednesday said 25% of the current gas requirement has been hit....