At least two districts in the Tarai region exceeded 40 degrees Celsius temperatures on Thursday.

According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Simara of Bara district recorded 40.6 degrees Celsius while Janakpur recorded 40 degrees Celsius.

Temperatures in many places of the central and eastern Tarai are expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius in the coming days as no weather system has built up yet to cause rainfall.

“The temperatures will soar higher in the coming days as no system has developed to form clouds or cause rainfall,” said Govinda Jha, a meteorologist at the division. “Some places will witness heatwaves.”

Heatwave occurs when the maximum and minimum temperatures are usually hot over a three-day period at a location. Jha said that the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has been monitoring the weather conditions closely and is likely to issue a heatwave warning as per their risk assessment.

The department had issued such a warning in the third week of April.

According to the latest weather update of the division, Bhairahawa recorded 39.6 degrees Celsius. Nepalgunj and Biratnagar recorded 38.6 degrees Celsius, Dhangadhi and Dipayal 37.2 degrees Celsius, and Birendranagar recorded 36.8 degrees Celsius, according to the Met division. The maximum temperature in Kathmandu on the day was 32.3 degrees Celsius.

“Warm and dry weather conditions are expected to continue in the coming days in the Tarai region with no chance of any rainfall in sight,” Jha said. “People may not get relief from the scorching heat until the start of the monsoon.”

The met office said that the monsoon is likely to be delayed by a few days this year.

The monsoon season in Nepal generally begins on June 13 and ends on September 23. Last year, however, it entered the country eight days ahead of schedule.

Normally, after the arrival of the monsoon, it takes one week for the clouds to spread across the country.

Met officials said light rain or thunder is likely to occur in one or two places of Sudurpaschim, Karnali, Gandaki and Koshi Province.

With the maximum temperature reaching 40 degrees Celsius, many local units in the Tarai region have started shutting down schools.

“We have decided to shut down schools, at least for a week, as the temperature becomes unbearable during the daytime,” said Roushan Paraveen, deputy mayor of Kalaiya Sub-metropolitan City of Bara district. “It is very difficult to come out of the house in the daytime due to the scorching heat.”

Health facilities in the Tarai region have started reporting an uptick in the patient flow over the last several days.

“The number of patients has increased noticeably in the outpatient department and in the hospital’s emergency, of late,” said Dr Badri Chapagain, chief of Bheri Hospital in Nepalgunj.

Exposure to excessive heat usually results in headache, nausea, weakness, dizziness and fainting. Heat-related illnesses include heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps and heat syncope (fainting). Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat-related illness and requires immediate medical attention.

Doctors advised people not to come out of their homes in the afternoon, and to take sufficient fluids and water to remain hydrated so as to avoid the adverse effects of scorching heat. People’s exposure to heat is increasing due to climate change. Globally, extreme temperature events are observed to be increasing in frequency, duration and magnitude, according to the UN’s health body.

Climate scientists blamed the impact of climate change for the early onset of summer and intense heat.

The average annual maximum temperature of Nepal has risen by 0.056 degrees Celsius, according to a study conducted by the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DOHM) in 2017.

The study shows most districts have witnessed increasing temperatures annually.

Meteorologists have forecast below-average rainfall in the upcoming season. The department’s climate section, which forecast weather conditions for four months (June 1 to September 30), said that most parts of the country are likely to experience an above-average maximum temperature due to the El Nino conditions, a climatic pattern that generally brings dry weather.

Nepal is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the climate crisis and has witnessed extreme weather events over the past decade and a half.