New Delhi: Many parts of the country may not be hotter than normal due to ‘below normal’ maximum (day) temperatures during the April-June summer season, but the heat wave is likely to extend by two to eight days over most parts of east, north-east and coastal peninsular India. imd Said on Tuesday.Releasing the seasonal outlook for the three-month period, IMD chief Mrityunjay Mohapatra said, “Below normal heat days are expected over Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, coastal Tamil Nadu and northern parts of Karnataka during April to June.”The forecast map released by the Meteorological Department also shows additional heat wave days in Delhi-NCR, but this phenomenon is likely to be limited to May-June as April may see above normal rainfall due to the prevalent and projected western disturbance over many parts of India including the northwest.A heatwave is considered when the maximum temperature at a weather station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius or more for plains and at least 30 degrees Celsius or more for hilly areas. Many parts of the plains experience heat waves lasting usually three to five days during the April–June period.However, temperatures may drop below normal during the day in most parts of the country, but nights are likely to be warm. “During the season (April-June), most parts of the country are likely to have above normal minimum (night) temperatures, except some areas of Maharashtra and Telangana, where below normal minimum temperatures are likely,” Mohapatra said.Although the IMD chief preferred not to say anything about the monsoon season at this time, the latest forecasts from the Monsoon Mission Climate Forecast System (MMCFS) suggest that El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral conditions are most likely to continue during April to June.“Subsequently, the probability of development of El Nino conditions gradually increases – an indication that its adverse impact on rainfall may occur in the later part of the monsoon season during August-September,” the IMD said. The IMD is expected to release its first phase forecast on this year’s monsoon rainfall around mid-April.IMD data shows that around 45 people died due to extreme weather events across several states in March. Maximum 32 deaths occurred due to lightning in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Kerala.Speaking about March, Mohapatra said eight western disturbances (WDs) affected India during the month, whereas normally it is 5-6.Six WDs affected northwest India during 11–31 March, causing light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds and hail over northwest and adjoining central parts of the country.Large-scale cyclonic activity occurred over many parts of the country mainly during the second half of the month and led to a drop in maximum temperatures over most parts of India.