Mercury soars to 47 degrees in parts of capital, heatwave on forecast today

Heatwave conditions are on the forecast for Sunday as well, when the maximum temperature could settle at around 45 degrees Celsius.

Amidst a heatwave, the maximum temperature hit 47.2 degrees Celsius in Northwest Delhi’s Mungeshpur, and 47 degrees Celsius in Southwest Delhi’s Najafgarh.

At the Safdarjung weather observatory, which provides a marker for the city, the maximum temperature recorded on Saturday was 44.2 degrees Celsius, five degrees above normal for this time of the year. A heatwave is recorded when the maximum temperature is 40 degrees or more and is 4.5 to 6.4 degrees above normal. At the Mungeshpur weather station, the maximum temperature recorded on Saturday was eight degrees above normal, while it was seven degrees above normal at Najafgarh, recording a ‘severe’ heatwave. A ‘severe’ heatwave is recorded when the maximum temperature is 47 degrees or higher, or when it is 6.5 degrees or more above normal.

Heatwave conditions are on the forecast for Sunday as well, when the maximum temperature could settle at around 45 degrees Celsius.

Story continues below this ad

No significant change is likely in the maximum temperatures over northwest and central India during the next two days, but it could fall by two to four degrees over the subsequent three days, according to an IMD bulletin issued on Saturday night.

In addition to Delhi, heatwave conditions were recorded in parts of western Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

With a western disturbance set to affect parts of northwest India, the maximum temperature at the Safdarjung weather observatory could drop to around 41 degrees Celsius on May 16, when a dust storm or thunderstorm is on the forecast. However, heat wave conditions could return on May 20, when the maximum temperature is set to increase to 45 degrees once again.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram