Delhi sizzles as mercury crosses 40°C for first time this summer

Last year, Safdarjung recorded a high of 43.5 degrees in April, while the highest maximum temperature in April 2021 was 42.2 degrees. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)

The IMD marks a heatwave when the maximum temperature is 40 degrees or more and is 4.5 to 6.4 degrees above normal. A heatwave may also be recorded when the maximum temperature is 45 degrees or more.

The highest maximum temperature recorded in the city on Saturday was 42.9 degrees Celsius at the Commonwealth Games Sports Complex near Akshardham. This was followed by 42.6 degrees in Southwest Delhi’s Najafgarh.

The minimum temperature recorded at Safdarjung on Saturday was 20 degrees Celsius, a degree below the normal for this time of the year. Over the next six days, the minimum temperature is likely to range from 20 to 22 degrees Celsius.

“We are expecting similar temperatures on Sunday as well,” Srivastava said. The IMD forecast indicates that the maximum temperature is likely to be 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday, and could rise further to 41 degrees Celsius on Monday and Tuesday. The IMD has not issued a heatwave warning for Sunday.

Next week, cloudy skies and very light rainfall from April 18 to 20 means that the maximum temperature could fall to around 38 degrees on April 20 and 21.

An IMD bulletin issued on Saturday said that the maximum temperature over northwest India is likely to rise by around one to two degrees over the next 48 hours, and fall by two to four degrees thereafter.

The highest ever maximum temperature recorded at Safdarjung in April is 45.6 degrees in 1941. Last year, Safdarjung recorded a high of 43.5 degrees in April, while the highest maximum temperature in April 2021 was 42.2 degrees.