NEW DELHI: While the sultry weather prevailed in the national capital on Saturday, Met officials put out a grim forecast saying no relief from the scorching heat is in the offing for another two days.
At 8:30 am, the weather station at Safdarjung recorded the minimum temperature at 28 degrees Celsius, which is normal for this time of the year. The humidity level was recorded at 56 per cent.
While the city recorded a maximum temperature of 45 degrees Celsius on Saturday, private forecaster Skymet Weather predicted that the mercury would continue its northward climb and could even touch the 46-degree mark over the next couple of days.
The sky remained clear for most of the day, with not a hint of rain. With the mercury on a runaway upward spiral, residents have been gazing heavenwards in the desperate hope of some respite.
A Met official said heat wave conditions are likely at isolated places in the capital over the next two days.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), a heatwave condition is declared when the mercury touches the 45-degree mark for two consecutive days and a severe heatwave alert is sounded when the day temperature soars to 47 degrees Celsius for two days on the trot.
In small areas like the national capital, a heatwave is declared if the maximum temperature is recorded at 45 degrees Celsius even for a day, a Met official said.
Vast swathes of north and central India, including the national capital, has been in the grip of a severe heatwave conditions over the last few days, with the daytime temperature soaring to unprecedented levels. The mercury even touched 50 degrees and beyond in Rajasthan's Churu and streets had to be sprinkled with water to give commuters some relief.