New Delhi Heatwave conditions prevailed over Delhi-NCR for a second consecutive day on Saturday, with the national capital recording a season-high maximum temperature of 43.7°C at Safdarjung, which was 0.1 degrees higher than Friday’s maximum. Clear skies and dry westerly winds led to an uncomfortable Saturday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a ‘red alert’ across the region.
A red alert for heatwave to severe heatwave conditions is in place for Sunday too, while an ‘orange’ alert has been announced from Monday till Wednesday with the maximum likely to hover between 44 and 47°C in parts of the city during this period, it said. The IMD has advised people to stay indoors since there is a high possibility of developing heat-related illnesses from too much exposure to the sun.
“There is a very high likelihood of developing heat-related illnesses and heat stroke among all ages. There is a high health concern for vulnerable people in particular, example infants, elderly and people with chronic diseases,” said IMD in its bulletin on Saturday.
Mungeshpur in northwest Delhi was the hottest place in the capital at 46.8°C, followed by 46.7°C at Najafgarh. The latter was the warmest location across the entire country on Friday, when the maximum there touched 47.4°C.
{{/usCountry}}Mungeshpur in northwest Delhi was the hottest place in the capital at 46.8°C, followed by 46.7°C at Najafgarh. The latter was the warmest location across the entire country on Friday, when the maximum there touched 47.4°C.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, heatwave conditions have intensified across North India with Rajasthan recording a maximum temperature of 46.9 degrees Celsius in Barmer, the department said. According to the Meteorological Centre, Jaipur, most parts of the state have been experiencing intense heat for the last several days and this phase will continue for another week.
Apart from Barmer, the maximum temperatures recorded include 46.4 degrees Celsius in Phalodi, 46.3 degrees Celsius in Pilani (Jhunjhunu), 46.2 degrees Celsius in Jalore, Jaisalmer, Karauli, and 45.5 degrees Celsius in Kota, Churu and Bikaner, the centre said.
The maximum temperature in Chandigarh touched 44.5 degrees Celsius as the hot weather continued unabated in Haryana and Punjab. According to the Meteorological Department, the common capital of the two states was hotter by six notches above the season’s normal limits.
Rohtak and Sirsa in Haryana recorded identical maximums of 45.8 degrees Celsius, while the heatwave also swept Hisar, Karnal and Ambala, which recorded temperatures of 45.5, 43.4 and 43.4 degrees Celsius, respectively, it said.
Bhiwani recorded a maximum temperature of 43.2 degrees Celsius, the MeT department said.
In Punjab, the maximum temperature in Amritsar climbed to 44.3 degrees Celsius, while in Faridkot it was 43 degrees Celsius, it said.
Data showed a total of 10 weather stations in Delhi-NCR had a maximum temperature over 45°C. This included seven stations in Delhi, which included Ridge (45.5), Ayanagar (45.2), Jafarpur (45.6), Pitampura (46.1) and Pusa (46.0). In the National Capital Region, Gurugram had a high of 45.0°C, Noida 45.6°C and Faridabad 45.8°C.
The IMD has three colour-coded alerts for weather events. The first, a yellow alert is issued to alert the public about a weather event. The second, an orange alert, is issued, asking people to be prepared about an extreme weather event. The highest alert – a red alert is issued when an extreme weather event requires extreme vigil and caution from the people.
“We have seen largely similar conditions prevail across Delhi-NCR as seen on Friday. Dry westerly winds have been blowing from Rajasthan. Clear skies are also leading to quicker surface heating and no immediate relief is expected until Wednesday,” said an IMD official.
After Wednesday, easterly winds, bringing moisture, may start blowing towards the region again, providing partial relief and a slight drop in temperature, the official added.
The IMD classifies the weather situation as a heatwave when the maximum temperature is 4.5°C above normal and also above 40°C. It is a ‘severe heatwave’ when the maximum is 6.5°C or more above normal.
IMD issues red alert over severe heatwave; rainfall likely to bring relief in these states
Delhi’s minimum temperature too has shot up and was recorded at 27.1°C, a degree above normal. It was 25.4°C on Friday. The IMD has forecast that the minimum temperature will hover around 28°C on Sunday and touch 30°C by Wednesday.
This heatwave has seen Delhi’s peak power demand shoot up too in the last 24 hours. Data from the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) showed the capital recorded its highest peak power demand of the season at 11:25 pm on Friday night, when it touched 6,987 MW. Delhi’s discoms, BSES and Tata Power DDL both said they were able to meet this demand, without any power outages.
The dry, warm winds also kept Delhi’s air in ‘poor’ category for a sixth consecutive day. The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was 263 (poor) on Saturday – a slight increase from a reading of 231 on Friday.