No Relief From Severe Heat In Delhi, Mercury Crosses 48 Degrees In Many Parts

The national capital stayed under the grip of searing heat as maximum temperatures in parts of the city crossed 48 degrees Celsius on Monday with no respite from the heatwave condition in sight for the next few days.

The Safdarjung observatory, considered the official marker of the city, recorded its second-highest maximum temperature of the season at 45.1 degrees Celsius, 4.7 notches above the normal, while the minimum was 29.2 degrees Celsius.

The Palam observatory recorded a high of 46 degrees Celsius, five notches above normal.

Delhi recorded its highest maximum temperature on Sunday with the mercury searing to 45.4 degrees Celsius, marking the first heatwave day in the city.

On Monday, Najafgarh in southwest Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 48.6 degrees Celsius, eight notches above the normal while the minimum settled at 31.4 degrees Celsius, five degrees above the season's average.

The Mungeshpur weather station recorded a high of 48.8 degrees Celsius, eight notches above the normal. It recorded a minimum temperature of 27.6 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season's average.

Kuldeep Srivastava, the regional head of IMD said Najafgarh and Mungeshpur recorded such high temperatures since these were on the outskirts of the city.

"The second reason is wind direction. When wind blows from the west, it affects those areas first. As they are on the outskirts, temperatures rise rapidly," he said.

Srivastava said heatwave in the city will persist for the next few days.

According to the weather department, maximum temperatures in Delhi this week will range between 44 degrees Celsius and 48 degrees Celsius. The city was on red alert on Monday and will remain so for the next three days, it said.

In 2023, Delhi did not have a single day of heat wave during May whereas in 2022, there were four heatwave days.

The IMD urged people, especially infants, elderly, and those with chronic diseases, to exercise extreme caution, saying there is a very high likelihood of developing heat-related illnesses and heat stroke. "Avoid heat exposure, keep cool. Avoid dehydration," it said.

A heatwave is defined when the maximum temperature at a weather station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius, with a deviation of 4.5 degrees or more from the normal. A severe heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is 6.4 degrees or more above the normal. 

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