Temperature rises to 41.9°C, IMD warns of extreme heat
Delhiites should be prepared to face extreme heat and strong winds in the coming days. Delhi on Sunday recorded a maximum temperature of 41.9 degree Celsius, 1.5 notches above the seasonal average. The minimum temperature settled at 25.9 degrees Celsius on Sunday morning, 0.6 notches below the seasonal average, the IMD stated. Relative humidity was recorded at 28 per cent at 5.30 pm.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert that the mercury may reach 45 degrees Celsius this week. Delhi and the National Capital Region have already been reeling under an intense heatwave with mercury rising above normal.
According to the met department, a prolonged spell of heatwave is expected starting Monday, with the maximum temperature expected to reach 45 degrees Celsius.
“The maximum and minimum temperatures over Delhi are likely to be in the range of 43°C to 45°C and 25°C to 27°C, respectively,” a press release by the IMD said in its forecast for Monday (May 18).
The weather department, however, did not immediately issue a colour-coded alert. It predicted strong surface winds, with speeds reaching 20-30 kmph occasionally gusting to 40 kmph during the day. The weather department, in its press release, said that the maximum temperatures in Delhi would remain between the 43 and 45 degrees Celsius range from May 18 to May 20. Meanwhile, the minimum temperature is also expected to be above normal at most places over Delhi for this duration. “Maximum temperatures over Delhi are expected to remain above normal during the coming days, and heatwave conditions are likely to develop from May 18,” an IMD official said.
Delhi had, on Saturday, recorded a maximum temperature of 40.8°C, just about 0.4°C above the normal, and a minimum temperature of 24.8°C, 1.7°C below the normal. On Sunday too, the maximum temperature went above 40 degrees Celsius. The IMD forecast released on Sunday said that a ‘hot spell’ will prevail in the plain areas in North and North-Western India for the entire week. “Heat wave to severe heat wave conditions are likely to prevail over the plains of northwest India and central India during many days of the week,’ the MeT Department said.
During this time, people will also have to face heat waves. In such a situation, the Meteorological Department has advised people to be cautious and not to go out in the sun unless necessary.
Meanwhile, the IMD is planning to expand its criteria for heat alerts to include a percentile-based threshold — a shift that would, for the first time, formally capture the kind of humid, oppressive heat that coastal regions routinely experience but that existing guidelines have long failed to flag.
