NEW DELHI: The national capital on Monday witnessed a heat wave with a maximum temperature of 45.1 degree Celsius, 4.7 degrees above normal, the India Meteorological Department said in a report, with similar weather forecast for the next three days.
The severe heat wave was recorded in Mungeshpur which is in the northwest part of Delhi, with the mercury rising to 48 degree Celcius.
“At 48.3 degrees Celsius, Delhi’s Mungeshpur records highest temperature,” the IMD said in a post on X. It touched 46 degrees in Najafgarh and Narela.
The threshold for a heatwave is met when the maximum temperature of a weather station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees in the coastal areas, and 30 degrees in the hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 notches. A severe heatwave is declared if the departure from normal temperature exceeds 6.4 notches.
The Palam weather observatory recorded 46 degrees, five degrees above normal, and the minimum was 31 degrees, four notches above normal.
According to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare advisory, during the heatwave, the outdoor activity should be limited while the head be covered with cloth, cap or umbrella, besides keeping water bottle and ORS at handy.
On Sunday, the national capital registered a maximum temperature of 45.4 degrees, five degrees above the normal temperature, as per the Safdarjung weather observatory.
For a week, the city has recorded a maximum temperature of above 40 degrees, giving no respite from the relentless heat.
According to the IMD seven-day forecast for Delhi, the maximum temperature for the next three days is likely to remain above 46 degrees and will decrease by a degree on Thursday, followed by 44 degrees on Friday and 43 degrees on Saturday and Sunday.
There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon. The weather office has predicted light rain on Friday and a partly cloudy sky the next day. From May 31 onwards, Delhi is likely to witness a cloudy sky followed by thundershowers for three days.
According to the IMD, the temperature may also fall to 43 degrees on June 1 and June 2, offering some respite from the scorching heat.