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Reeling under a heatwave since the past week, with the mercury crossing 46 degrees Celsius (°C) in south-west Delhi’s Najafgarh on Friday, the India Meteorological Department has said that a “severe heatwave" would take hold of the city on Saturday
Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, recorded a maximum temperature of 42.5°C — three degrees above normal — on Friday, while Najafgarh recorded a high of 46.1°C, according to Hindustan Times report.
The IMD has issued an “orange" alert, warning of severe heatwave conditions, when the maximum temperature could jump to between 45°C and 47°C in parts of Delhi today.
Interestingly, there is a “yellow" alert in place for Sunday, with similar highs of 44-46°C expected at most stations. The IMD issues a yellow alert to warn the public of a weather phenomenon in place, while it is upgraded to an orange alert, if preventive action is required.
Jafarpur Kalan in south-west Delhi recorded the second-highest temperature at 45.6°C, followed by Mungeshpur at 45.4°C and Pitampura at 44.7°C, with all four weather stations recording heatwave conditions.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) declares a heatwave over the plains if the maximum temperature is 40°C or higher and 4.5 degrees above normal, with this criterion being satisfied over two consecutive days.
However, Met officials did forecast some relief after the weekend with a fresh western disturbance expected to bring down the mercury to around 41°C from Monday.
“The temperature on Friday was almost similar to Thursday. However, Najafgarh crossed the 46-degree mark. According to the forecast, Saturday is expected to record the highest maximum temperature compared to Friday and Sunday. From Monday, Delhi will witness cloudy skies and thunder, which will bring down the maximum temperature to 41-42°C," said RK Jenamani, senior scientist at IMD.
He added that according to IMD forecast, the Safdarjung station could record a maximum temperature of 44°C on Saturday, while other parts of Delhi could record temperatures close to 47°C.
(With inputs from agencies)
