Heatwave alert: Delhi reaches a scorching 45.8°C on season’s hottest day, nearing 50°C in some areas
PTC News Desk: With a high of 45.8 degrees Celsius (°C) on Tuesday, Delhi had its warmest day of the season thus far. The city has seen temperatures above 45 degrees for the past three days. The city was still being battered by dry and scorching westerly winds. The season’s previous high was 45.4°C on Sunday; prior to that, Delhi had registered a high of 45.1°C on Monday.
Meanwhile, the hottest temperature ever recorded at an observatory in the Capital was close to 50 degrees Celsius on Tuesday at two weather stations outside of Delhi, Narela and Mungeshpur.
Officials with knowledge of the issue claim that on May 15, 2022, in Mungeshpur, the highest temperature ever recorded at a Delhi station was 49.2°C.
The cities in the National Capital Region (NCR) did not fare any better. 48.4°C was the scary high temperature recorded in Faridabad; other high temperatures reported were 47.3°C in Noida, 47°C in Gurugram, and 45.6°C in Ghaziabad.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts that similar circumstances will persist in Delhi-NCR on Wednesday as well, before a western disturbance may result in a possible drop in the maximum on Thursday. Furthermore, the Met Department said that rain is possible on Friday and Saturday in some parts of Delhi-NCR. It is predicted that cloud cover will contribute to a further drop in temperature.
IMD authorities said that Tuesday’s peak temperature was five degrees higher than normal because of bright skies and hot, dry winds from the country’s arid west. The Delhi observatory, Safdarjung, registered a season high of 45.8°C.
The rising temperatures in the western half of the country, notably in Rajasthan, are starting to have an impact on Delhi, particularly on its western side. For the last three days, Delhi has been blessed with a clear sky, and hot, dry westerly breezes are blowing in from Rajasthan. This is why the temperatures are so high, says Kuldeep Srivastava, an IMD expert.
Furthermore, Najafgarh (49.8°C), Ayanagar (47.6°C), the Ridge (47.5°C), Mungeshpur (49.9°C), and Narela (49.9°C) also set new marks on Tuesday. In addition, six meteorological stations—Pitampura (48.5°C), Jafarpur (48.6), Mungeshpur, Najafgarh, Narela, and Pusa—recorded a maximum temperature higher than 48°C.
Heatwaves or conditions like heatwaves were observed throughout Delhi-NCR. When the hottest temperature in a location is both above 40°C and 4.5°C above the average, IMD classifies it as a heatwave. We refer to a temperature increase of 6.5°C or more above average as a “severe heatwave.”
Vishwas Chitale, senior program director at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), claims that a combination of local weather patterns and climate change is to blame for these heatwaves. The current situation highlights the direct effects of climate change and poses major hazards to public health. Furthermore, he claims that urban heat islands also heighten the intensity of heatwaves.
The Heat Index (HI) or “real feel” for Delhi on Tuesday was 47°C, which was the same as it was on Monday. Officials said that this was brought on by the area’s predominately dry heat.
Delhi’s wet bulb temperature, another indicator of how terrible the weather is outside, was 25.5°C. It is difficult for even physically fit and accustomed people to operate outside when the temperature is 32°C or more during a wet bulb. Humans are unable to regulate their body temperature above 35°C, which raises the possibility of heatstroke and collapse.
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