Mercury stays above 46°C for 2 days on trot, expect heatwave for 3 more days

Gurgaon: The city witnessed its fourth heatwave day of the season on Wednesday with the maximum temperature at 46.8 degrees Celsius, 4.6 notches above normal and a slight dip from Monday’s 47 degrees.
Hot winds blowing into the region at a speed of 20 kmph added to the blistering heat. Though there were gusty winds around 6pm, no rainfall was witnessed.Parts of neighbouring Delhi, however, received drizzle.
Wednesday was the second consecutive day of the maximum temperature being above 46 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature, however, saw a rise at 30.5 degrees Celsius from 28.8 degrees on Tuesday. It was 4.6 degrees above normal. The heatwave is likely to last for two to three more days, according to IMD.
IMD declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature of a region is 4.5 to 6.4 degrees higher than usual, while a severe heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is 6.5 degrees higher than normal or more.
According to the department’s forecast, the day temperature will decrease by 2-3 degrees Celsius from May 30, but will remain in the range of 43 to 46 degrees.
The city’s first two heatwave days were recorded on May 19 and 20. Tuesday was its third heatwave day. “Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are very likely in a few parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, west Rajasthan, isolated pockets of Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha,” said an IMD official.
The city’s highest maximum temperature was recorded at 48.1 degrees Celsius on May 15, 2022. Before that, it was 47.2 degrees on May 28, 1998. The city’s all-time high was on May 10, 1966, when it was 49 degrees Celsius, according to IMD data.
IMD has forecasted a higher number of heatwave days in northwest India and adjoining parts of the central region in June.
“Normally, northwest India and adjoining areas record two to three heatwave days in June. This time, we expect four to six days of heatwave in this region,” IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra had said.
In a bulletin released on Wednesday, the WHO stated that heat stress is the primary cause of weather-related deaths and can worsen underlying illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health, and asthma.
Dr Rakesh Gupta, senior consultant (internal medicine) at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, said: “As temperatures are rising, we are seeing an increase in cases of heat-related illnesses, including heat stroke. The primary cause of heat stroke is excessive exposure to high temperatures, particularly when combined with strenuous physical activity. Symptoms of heat stroke include an extremely high body temperature, hot and dry skin due to the cessation of sweating, rapid heart and breathing rates, severe headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, and potentially seizures or loss of consciousness.”
Meanwhile in Delhi, the mercury shot up to 46.8 degrees at Safdarjung, the highest in 80 years and second highest in records after 47.2 degrees Celsius recorded on May 29, 1944. Besides, the heat index, or ‘feels-like’ temperature, was 52 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
Of the 21 met stations in Delhi, seven saw a rise in mercury compared with Tuesday, while there was no change in temperatures at four stations. The highest rise of 3 degrees was registered at Mungeshpur, further fuelling doubts regarding the reading at the station.
Although IMD issued a press release at 6pm saying the maximum temperature at Mungeshpur was 52.9 degrees Celsius, two hours later, it released another statement saying the reading was being checked again. “The maximum temperature over Delhi NCR varied from 45.2 to 49.1 degrees Celsius in different parts of the city. Mungeshpur reported 52.9 degrees C as an outlier compared to other stations... IMD is examining the data and sensor,” it said. While Delhi falls in the heatwave zone of the country, temperatures touching 50 degrees C or more have so far been recorded only in some areas of Rajasthan (including Phalodi, Churu and Alwar) and southwest Haryana (Sirsa).
Union earth sciences Kiren Rijiju also posted on X that the Mungeshpur reading was in the process of being verified. “It is not official yet. Temperature of 52.3°C in Delhi is very unlikely. Our senior officials in IMD have been asked to verify the news report. The official position will be stated soon.”
However, no revised data for Mungeshpur was shared till the filing of this report. Narela, the closest station to Mungeshpur, had a maximum of 48.4 degrees Celsius. On Tuesday, both Mungeshpur and Narela had reported a maximum of 49.9 degrees Celsius.
IMD’s data shows that parts of Delhi were under the grip of a heatwave for the fifth consecutive day, while Safdarjung reeled under a heatwave for the fourth straight day in a row. While Jafarpur recorded 48.7 degrees C, Pitampura was at 48.9, Pusa 49, Ayanagar 46.8, Palam 47, Ridge 47.3 and Lodhi Road 46.2.
Delhi has been experiencing high temperatures as dry and warm winds from Rajasthan and south Haryana, known as loo, have been blowing in the city. “However, wind direction later in the day changed to south-westerly, which started bringing moisture from Arabian Sea. Moisture and high temperatures being recorded in the region led to the formation of clouds, which caused light rain,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist and head, Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, IMD. ‘Trace’ rainfall was recorded at Safdarjung, Lodhi Road and Ayanagar, while 2mm rainfall was logged at SPS Mayur Vihar till 5.30pm.