Delhi Heatwave News: The mercury soared to 42.5 degrees Celsius in the national capital on Thursday, marking the highest temperature recorded in the city so far this summer, according to the weather office.
The previous hottest day was May 8, with a maximum temperature of 42 degrees Celsius, as reported by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Thursday's maximum temperature was two notches above normal, the IMD said.
The day's relative humidity fluctuated between 25 percent and 65 percent. The IMD's seven-day forecast predicts heatwave conditions in isolated areas of the capital on Saturday, with temperatures potentially reaching 45 degrees Celsius, reported PTI.
A heatwave is defined by the IMD as a situation where the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 degrees above the normal temperature, reaching a minimum of 45 degrees Celsius.
There was no heatwave in Delhi during May 2023, unlike the previous year when the city recorded a highest temperature of 43.7 degrees Celsius in May and experienced four heatwave days, according to IMD data.
For Friday, the weather office has forecast partly cloudy skies with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to be around 43 and 25 degrees Celsius, respectively.
IMD has forecast heatwave to severe heatwave conditions in many pockets of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, and a few pockets of Rajasthan on May 20. Additionally, isolated or few pockets of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Saurashtra, and Kutch are also likely to experience heatwave conditions on the same day, reported ANI.
India Faces Sweltering Heatwave
The mercury breached 45 degrees Celsius at 19 places in Rajasthan, 18 in Haryana, eight in Delhi and two in Punjab.Conditions are expected to turn worse with the severe heat wave over the northwest Indian plains predicted to continue during the next five days.
Human-caused climate change has made this intense heat much more likely. The high overnight temperatures make this event particularly alarming, said Andrew Pershing, vice-president for science at Climate Central, as per PTI.
Scientists from the World Weather Attribution group have highlighted that heat waves intensified by climate change tough for people living in poverty across Asia.
The IMD had previously warned of extreme heat in India during the April-June period, coinciding with the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, which conclude on June 1.