Delhi heatwave alert: IMD says temperature may hit 45°C today

Delhi heatwave

Delhi experienced sweltering heat on Sunday as the maximum temperature crossed 40 degrees Celsius, settling at 42.1 degrees Celsius, after a gap of 17 days. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a 'yellow' alert for heatwave conditions at isolated places on Monday and Tuesday, as the mercury may touch 45 degrees Celsius.

The heatwave alert for the capital came as scorching temperatures swept Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan, The Times of India reported. In Haryana, Sirsa was the hottest place with a temperature of 45.8 degrees Celsius, while Chandigarh recorded its highest temperature of the season at 42.1 degrees Celsius. In Rajasthan, many areas had temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius, with Sri Ganganagar being the hottest at 47.4 degrees Celsius. The IMD says the heatwave will likely continue in the coming days.

For the past few days, temperatures have stayed below normal in Delhi, due to regular rain, accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds. Before Sunday, the last time Delhi saw 40 degrees Celsius was on May 21, when it touched 40.7 degrees Celsius. The hottest day this season was May 16, when the temperature was 42.3 degrees Celsius. So far, Delhi has not had an official heatwave in June, although April saw three heatwave days.

On Sunday, the heat felt much worse than the actual temperature. The "feels-like" temperature, also called the heat index, was 47.2 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature that day was 27.6 degrees Celsius, and humidity levels ranged from 31 per cent to 70 per cent.

Some areas in and around Delhi were hotter than others. Ayanagar in south-west Delhi recorded the highest temperature in the city at 44.1 degrees Celsius. Other hot spots included Palam at 43.6 degrees Celsius, Lodhi Road at 42.3 degrees Celsius, Ridge at 42.9 degrees Celsius, and several more areas with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, such as Pusa, Najafgarh, Mayur Vihar, Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad, the TOI report said.

“The maximum temperatures have been recorded between 42-44 degrees Celsius over Delhi with departures of about 2-3 degrees. Though no heatwave condition has been realised over Delhi, it has been recorded in neighbouring Rohtak and Narnaul,” TOI quoted IMD scientist Krishna Kumar Mishra as saying. “The maximum temperature on June 4 in Delhi was 34.6 degrees Celsius, and it rose to 42.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday. It settled at 47.4 degrees Celsius in Rajasthan’s Gangapur. In just five days, the mercury saw a rise of 6 to 8 degrees Celsius across the region.”

IMD has also issued another yellow alert for Wednesday and Thursday, expecting temperatures between 41 degrees Celsius and 43 degrees Celsius. Relief from the hot weather is expected around June 13. From the night of June 11, rain and thunderstorms may begin in east Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and Delhi could see similar weather between June 12 and June 14.