Temperature above 39°C, severe heatwave declared in areas

Safdarjung, the base weather station for Delhi, saw the maximum temperature reach 39.2°C on Tuesday, seven degrees above normal for this time of the year and up from 39.1°C a day ago.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday declared a “severe heatwave” over parts of Delhi, after temperatures hovered between 39 and 41 degrees across the city for a second consecutive day.

The IMD has issued a “yellow alert” for the next two days as well, stating severe heatwave conditions are likely on Wednesday and Thursday as well. (Rahul Raut/HT file photo)

Safdarjung, the base weather station for Delhi, saw the maximum temperature reach 39.2°C on Tuesday, seven degrees above normal for this time of the year and up from 39.1°C a day ago.

Narela was Delhi’s warmest location, with mercury reaching 41.7°C. Among the other locations, the Yamuna Sports Complex saw a maximum temperature of 41.5°C and Pitampura recorded 41.4°C on Tuesday, both 9-10 degrees above normal.

The IMD has issued a “yellow alert” for the next two days as well, stating severe heatwave conditions are likely on Wednesday and Thursday as well.

A “heatwave” is declared over a region if the maximum temperature is over 40 degrees and 4.5 degrees above the normal mark for two consecutive days. It is a “severe heatwave” if the maximum temperature is over 40 degrees and 6.5 degrees above normal.

“Parts of Delhi saw a severe heatwave with the criteria being met over two days. While Safdarjung did not touch the 40-degree mark on both days, there were several locations which breached the 40-degree threshold on both days,” said IMD scientist RK Jenamani, adding that temperature is likely to remain the same on Wednesday.

He attributed the sudden rise in mercury over the last 48 hours to a combination of factors, including hot winds blowing from north Rajasthan and the absence of rainfall. “If local wind speed is slightly high, we have seen the maximum drop to around 34 degrees over the last two weeks, but it has not gone below that. At present, local winds have dropped once again and we are seeing clear skies, leading to temperatures rising. Winds blowing towards Delhi from Rajasthan, where the maximum is around 41-42°C, is also a contributing factor,” he said.

Last year, similar conditions led to Delhi recording a high of 40.1°C at Safdarjung on March 30, making it the second warmest March day of all-time. The all-time record meanwhile is 40.6°C, recorded in 1945.

“Safdarjung is likely to record a maximum of around 40°C over the next two days. It could then drop to around 38°C on Friday, when wind speeds pick up and lead to slight cooling. However, as witnessed earlier too, these winds are generally dry and cannot drop the temperature more than 1-2 degrees,” an official said.

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