The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued an “orange alert” for a severe heatwave in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. According to the IMD, presently the temperature is varying between 44 to 47 degrees Celsius and it shall continue for four more days.
The IMD also advised people to venture out carefully as the heat spell is very severe and can impact the health.
Delhiites witnessed an “extreme heatwave” condition on Monday with the maximum temperature reaching 46.4 degrees Celsius at Najafgarh observatory in the national Capital. Amid scorching heat in the city, most of the roads in the city wore a deserted look during the day, with most of the residents avoiding going out.
However, the minimum temperature in the Capital city was recorded at 29.5 degrees Celsius at 8:30 AM, at Safdarjung Observatory, as per the weather department.
At Delhi’s base station, the maximum temperature settled at 43.5 degrees Celsius as against 44.2 degrees Celsius on Sunday and 43.9 on Saturday. Sports Complex, Pitampura and Jafarpur recorded a high of 46.1 degrees Celsius, 45.8 degrees Celsius and 46 degrees Celsius respectively.
The IMD said that the Capital city witnessed mainly a clear sky with the maximum temperature oscillating up to 43.5 degrees Celsius on Monday. Predicting the weather condition on June 7, the weather man said that the Capital will witness the same weather as Monday with a clear sky and maximum temperature could reach 44 degrees Celsius.
“From June 8 to 10, strong surface winds will surface the city and the maximum temperature will shoot up to 41-43 degrees Celsius,” IMD said.
The weather station also predicted that the Delhiites will get a respite from the heatwave from June 11 as the city will witness a partly cloudy sky with the possibility of rain and thunderstorm, while the maximum temperature likely to shoot up to 40 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature may touch down to 28 degrees Celsius.
“Heatwave conditions likely in isolated pockets over Northwest, Central and adjoining East India during next three-four days,” it said in a statement.
Informing about the reason behind the heatwave, the IMD official said that there has been increasing dry and warmer westerly weather from the Pakistan side, making areas of northwest and central India further dry and warmer.
“As a result maximum temperature increased from these warm air advection and a fresh spell of heat wave only developed covering isolated pockets of northwest Rajasthan initially on June 2 and 3 and then further spread east and north to adjoining Punjab, Haryana, in some pockets over Delhi and its peripherals, Uttar Pradesh, and northern parts from Madhya Pradesh from June 4,” the IMD official.
“No significant change in maximum temperature is very likely over most parts of Central India during the next two days and fall by two-three degrees Celsius,” it said.
While informing about the rainfall condition in the country, the meteorological department said that heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places is very likely over Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and heavy rainfall at isolated places over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, South Interior Karnataka and Kerala and Mahe.
Informing about the thunderstorms in India, IMD said, thunderstorms accompanied with lightning or gusty winds with speed of 50-60 kmph at isolated places are very likely over Andaman and Nicobar Islands with lightning and gusty winds with speed of 30 to 40 kmph over Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and Rayalaseema and with lightning at isolated places over Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala, Mahe, and Lakshadweep.
Based on the absolute recorded temperatures, a heatwave is declared when an area logs a maximum temperature of 45 degrees Celsius.
A severe heatwave is declared if the maximum temperature crosses the 47-degree Celsius mark.