Weather May 22 news: Punjab govt offices, schools to shut early from Monday

Heatwave news LIVE updates: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said that timing of government offices and schools will be revised to function from 7:30 am till 1:30 pm in view of heat from Monday, May 25.

Today's weather LIVE: According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum temperature in Delhi is likely to hover around 45-46 degrees Celsius today.

The weather department has predicted strong surface winds and heatwave conditions through the day, with a warm night for the city that is under an orange alert till May 26.

An orange alert, as per the IMD, stands for "be prepared".

Meanwhile, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 226 in the 'poor' category at 9 am, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

As per CPCB standards, an AQI between 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.

Today weather LIVE updates: Delhi woke up to a warmer Friday morning as the minimum temperature settled at 29.3 degrees Celsius, 2.6 notches above normal,

The city remains under an orange alert with the maximum temperature expected to touch 45 degrees Celsius with persisting heatwave conditions, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The Safdarjung weather station recorded a minimum temperature of 29.3 degrees Celsius, 2.6 notches above normal.

Chennai weather today LIVE: Temperatures in more than 15 districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, have crossed 39 degree Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Chennai recorded the highest of 42 degree Celsius this summer on Wednesday. The weather office has warned that hot conditions are likely to persist.

A bulletin of Regional Meteorological Centre on Friday said heat wave conditions are expected to prevail over coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

High daytime temperature combined with humidity is likely to cause discomfort in these regions till Saturday.

However, the bulletin also forecast heavy rain, in isolated places, accompanied by thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph over Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Namakkal, Vellore, Tirupattur and Dharmapuri districts from May 23.

(Via PTI)

Today's weather LIVE: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for heatwave and strong surface winds for all districts of Delhi till May 26.

IMD scientist Naresh Kumar said heatwave conditions were expected to persist across large parts of Northwest, Central and East India for at least another week, according to ANI news agency.

"We anticipate that heatwave conditions will persist across parts of Northwest, Central, and most of East India for the next 6 to 7 days. We have issued an 'Orange Alert' for Punjab, Haryana, NCR-Delhi region, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha," Kumar was quoted as saying.

"We have also issued a 'Red Alert' for East Uttar Pradesh, East Madhya Pradesh and certain parts of Vidarbha for the next three days," he added.

Kumar further noted that temperatures in the Delhi-NCR region remained above 45 degrees Celsius and similar conditions were likely to continue throughout the week.

In Delhi, authorities and hospitals intensified preparations after the capital reported its first major heatstroke cases of the season.

Lucknow recorded a peak power demand of 2,137 MVA on Wednesday, marking a sharp escalation from 2,059 MVA on Tuesday, 1,959 MVA on Monday and 1,946 MVA on Sunday.

The rapid daily jump in consumption has caught the attention of officials, especially when compared to the same period last year when demand hovered around just 1,880 MVA.

Tamil Nadu weather LIVE: Tamil Nadu continued to reel under intense heatwave conditions on Friday, with temperatures crossing 39 degrees Celsius in more than 15 districts, according to the IMD. Chennai recorded its hottest day of the summer so far at 42 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, while the Regional Meteorological Centre warned that hot and humid weather is likely to persist across coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry till Saturday.

The weather office said high daytime temperatures combined with humidity could trigger discomfort in several regions, especially along the coast.

Delhi weather today LIVE: Delhi and NCR residents have been waiting for rain to get some relief from the heatwave conditions that have made stepping out of houses difficult.

Some relief might be on the cards. Satellite images from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) have shown a western disturbance near the northern region of the country. Read full report

Manali weather: Searches for Manali weather have been spiking amid scorching heat and heatwave conditions in plains. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Himachal Pradesh town on Thursday recorded a minimum temperature of over 14 degrees Celsius, four degrees above normal for this time of the year.

Today's weather LIVE: So intense is the heat that by 10 every morning, Uttar Pradesh's Banda shuts down. Lakhan Gupta, a jeweller in Attara town, leaves home at 6am to finish most of his work before the heat settles. By 9, he is back. By 10, the road outside is empty. The shutters of his shop remain open, but customers rarely come before evening.

“Since April, I have sold almost nothing,” Gupta says. “After 10am, Banda becomes deserted. At first, you see one or two people outside. Then, as the day rises, there is only silence.”

On April 27 this year, Banda recorded 47.6°C, the highest temperature anywhere in India that day and its highest since 1951, surpassing its previous April peak of 47.4°C reached on April 30, 2022, and April 25, 2026. On Tuesday, Banda was again the hottest in India at 48.2°C, setting a new record. Read full report here

Today's weather LIVE: Two critically ill patients with suspected heat stroke were admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital of Delhi on Thursday amid severe heatwave conditions, officials said.

Both patients were brought to the hospital in an unconscious state with extremely high body temperatures and were immediately put on ventilator support and immersion cooling therapy, PTI news agency quoted doctors as saying.

A 24-year-old student from West Bengal was admitted around 1.45 am after falling ill while travelling on a train, while another patient, a man aged around 50, was brought in by police at around 10.45 am in an unconscious state, said Dr Ajay Chauhan, Director Professor of Medicine at the hospital.

Today's weather live updates: Unbearably hot weather has hit parts of India, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing alerts for several cities, including Delhi, to be prepared under burning heatwave conditions that have sent temperatures soaring.

While Delhi reported its first heatstroke patients on Thursday amid orange alert for heatwave conditions, a red-coloured IMD warning was in place for East Uttar Pradesh, East Madhya Pradesh and certain parts of Vidarbha for the next three days, ANI news agency quoted IMD scientist Naresh Kumar as saying.

Amid furnace-like feels in the plains, queries have spiked for popular hill towns such as Himachal Pradesh's Manali, where the weather is still cold and in single digits.