IMD's heatwave forecast for Delhi-NCR; red, orange alerts for these states
The maximum temperature in the national capital on Sunday is expected to hover around 45 degrees Celsius.
The scorching heatwave baked north India on Sunday as the mercury soared to 45 degrees Celsius in several parts, while pockets of Delhi saw an upwards of 47 degrees Celsius, with a little relief expected in the next couple of days.
Cautioning about severe heatwave conditions, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an "orange alert" for north-west India,
"We have issued a red alert for Rajasthan for an intense spell of the heatwave, and a yellow alert for tomorrow. Similarly, we have issued an orange alert for Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, eastern Madhya Pradesh and Delhi," news agency ANI quoted senior IMD scientist Naresh Kumar as saying.
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The maximum temperature in the national capital on Sunday is expected to hover around 45 degrees Celsius, the Met department said. It added that the relative humidity in the national capital recorded at 8:30 am on Sunday was at 40 per cent. This is the fifth heatwave in the capital this summer.
Madhya Pradesh will continue to reel under severe heatwave conditions for the next 2-3 days but with decreased intensity.
In Uttar Pradesh, the heatwave will continue on Sunday and Monday. On Saturday too, parts of the eastern Uttar Pradesh recorded 48.8 degrees Celcius temperature, while Rajasthan breached 48 degrees. Most parts of northwest India, including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh had experienced heatwave to severe heatwave conditions on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India. As a result, there will be a significant decrease in the temperatures after 24 hours, which will eventually decrease the condition of a severe heatwave in northwest India, specifically, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, Kumar said. The clouds are observed in some parts of Jammu and Kashmir from today, itself, he added.
Read: Rainfall in over 15 states till May 18; heatwave warning for Delhi
The IMD uses four-colour codes for weather warnings - green (no action needed), yellow (watch and stay updated), orange (be prepared) and red (take action).
A heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius and 4.5 degrees above normal. Meanwhile, a severe heatwave is declared when the temperature is above 40 degrees Celsius and 6.5 degrees above normal.
(With inputs from agency)
