New Delhi: The national capital is likely to have no respite from heatwave conditions for the fifth consecutive day on Monday as the maximum temperature for the day is forecasted to touch 41 degrees Celsius. Delhiites woke up to a warm morning with the minimum temperature settling at 22.5 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's average.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert warning of a severe heatwave for Delhi indicating that the city is not going to have respite from heatwave conditions anytime soon, reports news agency PTI.
The capital has recorded five heatwave days so far in April this year, more than the number of such days in the month in 2017.
The IMD uses four colour codes -- green (no action needed), yellow (watch and stay updated), orange (be prepared) and red (take action) -- for weather warnings. For the plains, a heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius and at least 4.5 notches above normal. A severe heatwave is declared if the departure from normal temperature is more than 6.4 notches, according to the IMD.
The Safdarjung Observatory, considered the official marker for the city, recorded a maximum temperature of 42.6 degrees Celsius on Monday. the maximum temperature recorded on Sunday was 41.8 degrees Celsius, six notches above normal.
A maximum temperature of 43.2 degrees Celsius was recorded in the national capital on April 21, 2017. The all-time highest maximum temperature in the city for the month was 45.6 degrees Celsius on April 29, 1941.
Cloudy conditions may bring some relief from the stifling heat from Tuesday, the IMD said.