New Delhi:
The national capital on Tuesday recorded the first heatwave day of the month, with dry winds and a searing sun pushing temperatures past 45 degrees Celsius.
The weather office has issued an orange alert for heatwave to severe heatwave conditions over the coming days.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Safdarjung, the city’s base weather monitoring station, recorded a maximum temperature of 45.1 degrees Celsius, 4.7 degrees above normal and 1.7 degrees higher than the previous day.
The Palam station also logged 45.1 degrees Celsius, 3.8 degrees above normal, with a 24-hour rise of 1.6 degrees.
The Lodhi Road station recorded a maximum temperature of 45.2 degrees Celsius, 6.2 degrees above normal and 1.4 degrees higher than the previous day, officially recording heatwave conditions, while the Ridge station recorded the hottest temperature in the city at 46.5 degrees Celsius, five degrees above normal with a 24-hour rise of 1.9 degrees.
Ayanagar station recorded a maximum temperature of 45.5 degrees Celsius, 3.4 degrees above normal and 1.1 degrees higher than the previous day.
The minimum temperature settled at 28.2 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, 1.7 notches above normal and 1.9 degrees higher than the previous day, while Palam and Ridge recorded 28.1 degrees Celsius each, with departures of 1 and 1.4 notches above normal, respectively, and 24-hour changes of 1.2 degrees and 1.3 degrees.
Lodhi Road registered a minimum temperature of 27 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal and 1.6 degrees higher than the previous day, while Ayanagar recorded 27.4 degrees Celsius, 0.9 degrees above normal, with a 24-hour change of 1.6 degrees.
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 till May 25, warning of heatwave to severe heatwave conditions in many parts of the city.
For Wednesday, the IMD has forecast a minimum temperature of 27 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 44 degrees Celsius with an orange alert, which means “be prepared”.
Tuesday also marked the fourth heatwave day recorded in Delhi this year. Heatwave conditions were earlier recorded on April 23, 24 and 25, an IMD official said.
The city has witnessed its hottest May day since 2024. The last time the national capital recorded a higher temperature in May was on May 26 last year, when the mercury stood at 43.6 degrees Celsius.
“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 since 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 the 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 added that the city’s air quality has deteriorated due to dust-laden northwesterly winds and extremely dry conditions, leading to higher pollution levels, particularly 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 deteriorated further and entered the “poor” category with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 208, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management to enforce Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan in the city.
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”.
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