Delhi under heatwave grip for second straight day, orange alert continues

New Delhi, May 20 (PTI) An intense spell of heat gripped the national capital on Wednesday as Delhi recorded a heatwave for the second consecutive day, with temperatures hovering around the 45 degrees Celsius mark and the weather office maintaining an orange alert for the coming days amid forecasts of prolonged heatwave conditions.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), heatwave conditions were witnessed in isolated places, with Safdarjung, the city’s base weather monitoring station, recording a maximum temperature of 44.5 degrees Celsius, 4.1 notches above normal, while 0.6 degree lower than the previous day.

The Palam station also logged 44.9 degrees Celsius, 3.6 notches above normal with a 24-hour decline of 0.2 degree.

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Lodhi Road station recorded a maximum temperature of 44.6 degrees Celsius, 5.6 notches above normal and 0.6 degree lower than the previous day, while the Ridge station recorded the hottest temperature in the city at 45.8 degrees Celsius, 4.3 notches above normal with a 24-hour decline of 0.7 degree.

Ayanagar station recorded a maximum temperature of 45 degrees Celsius, 2.9 notches above normal and 0.5 degree lower than the previous day.

The minimum temperature settled at 28.3 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, 1.8 notches above normal and 0.1 degree higher than the previous day, while Palam recorded 28.5 degrees Celsius, 1.4 notches above normal with a 24-hour rise of 0.4 degree.

Ridge recorded a minimum temperature of 28 degrees Celsius, 1.3 notches above normal and a 24-hour decline of 0.1 degree.

Lodhi Road registered a minimum temperature of 26.8 degrees Celsius, 2.8 notches above normal and 0.2 degree lower than the previous day, while Ayanagar recorded 27 degrees Celsius, 0.5 notch above normal, with a 24-hour decline of 0.4 degree.

According to the IMD, a heatwave is observed when the maximum temperature crosses 40 degrees Celsius and remains 4.5 to 6.4 degrees above normal.

The weather office has issued an orange alert for Thursday, with the minimum temperature likely to settle around 28 degrees Celsius and the maximum touching 46 degrees Celsius.

Wednesday also marked the fifth heatwave recorded in Delhi this year. Heatwave conditions were earlier recorded on April 23, 24, 25 and May 19, an IMD official said.

“Heatwave conditions are expected to continue for the next one week. The northwesterly winds are sweeping into the national capital from the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan and parts of central Pakistan for the past few days. Travelling across vast arid stretches, these winds turn intensely dry by the time they reach Delhi, trapping heat close to the surface and sharply intensifying the searing conditions across the city,” said Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather.

Palawat said night temperatures have remained high over the last few days due to intense daytime heating.

“The ground does not get sufficient time to release the accumulated heat, leading to persistently warm nights. There is no forecast of thunderstorms or pre-monsoon rainfall activity over the next 10 days, which is further worsening the situation. These dry northwesterly winds are also preventing any significant cooling and are trapping large amounts of heat,” he said.

Palawat added that the prevailing conditions are likely to persist over the coming days, pushing several parts of Delhi-NCR into heatwave conditions.

He also said the city’s air quality has deteriorated due to dust-laden northwesterly winds and extremely dry conditions, leading to higher pollution levels, especially the PM10 concentrations.

“Residents need to remain cautious as the prolonged dry spell and soaring temperatures can significantly increase the risk of heat-related illnesses and sunstroke,” he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality was recorded at 168 in the “moderate” category.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 to 100 “satisfactory”, 101 to 200 “moderate”, 201 to 300 “poor”, 301 to 400 “very poor”, and 401 to 500 “severe”.PTI SGV SSJ KSI KSI