NEW DELHI: For the residents of Delhi-NCR and the entire north and central India baking in the brutal heat wave, with mercury soaring almost touching the half-century-mark in several areas, there’s a small relief in sight. The Met department has predicted that the prevailing heat wave will subside from Tuesday, with maximum temperatures in central and northern parts of the country set to drop by up to 5 degree Celsius.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Sunday’s heat wave was the most severe so far with mercury crossing 49 degrees in some parts of Delhi and in other north Indian regions. While the severity of it will slightly reduced for next four-five 5 days, the heat wave conditions in isolated pockets are very likely over northeast Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, south Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha and north Madhya Pradesh on May 16 and over Bihar and Jharkhand on May 16 and 17.
Residents of Delhi-NCR felt a relief as overcast temperatures and dusty winds brought the temperatures down by a notch. The IMD also had good news for other parts of the country. It said the Southwest Monsoon advanced into the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Monday, six days in advance, signalling the start of the four-month seasonal rains. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands and adjoining areas have been experiencing rainfall due to strengthening south-westerly winds in the lower tropospheric levels.
“Conditions are favourable for further advance of the Southwest Monsoon into some more parts of south Bay of Bengal, entire Andaman Sea and Andaman Islands and some parts of east-central Bay of Bengal during next two-three days,” an IMD statement said.
The presence of cyclonic circulations over Lakshadweep and northern Tamil Nadu coast are expected to bring fairly widespread rainfall with isolated thunderstorm/lightning/gusty winds with isolated heavy to very heavy falls over Kerala, coastal and south interior Karnataka during the next five days, the weatherman predicted.
Image by NASA shows heat islands in and around Delhi
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory of US space agency NASA recently shared an image showing “heat islands” in and around Delhi. The temperature in these urban “heat islands” and neighbouring villages reached 39 degree Celsius while surrounding areas were nearly 5 degrees colder. The image was taken shortly before midnight on May 5.
Measuring temperatures on ground from the spaces
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has deployed a satellite instrument called Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment On Space Station, which measures temperatures of the ground from space. The space agency’s image shows urban areas and agricultural lands northwest of Delhi covering 4,800 sq miles.
Small comfort
Delhi’s temperature
Sunday: 45.60 C
Monday: 42.40 C
Hottest spot in capital
Sunday: Mungeshpur 49.20 C
Monday: Najafgarh 44.70 C
Gurugram
Sunday: 48.10 C
Monday: 44.70 C