NEW DELHI: After a gap of 17 days, Delhi’s maximum temperature surpassed 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday, settling at 42.1C, two notches above normal, at Safdarjung, the city’s base station. The Met office has issued a ‘yellow’ alert for heatwave conditions at isolated places on Monday and Tuesday as the mercury may touch 45C.The heatwave alert for the capital came as scorching temperatures swept Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan. In Haryana, Sirsa recorded the highest maximum temperature at 45.8C while Chandigarh recorded the season’s highest maximum so far at 42.1C. In Rajasthan, maximum temperature in several areas remained above 45 degrees, with Sri Ganganagar being the hottest district in the state at 47.4C. The Met office has predicted that the intense heatwave will continue in the coming days.In Delhi, due to regular rain, accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds, temperatures have stayed below normal. However, before Sunday, the mercury crossed 40C on May 21, recording 40.7. The 17-day streak broke on Sunday, though the city did not meet the criteria for heatwave conditions. The season’s hottest day was May 16, at 42.3C.Storms to sizzle! Temps rise 6-8 degrees in just 5 daysThe relative humidity oscillated between 31% and 70% on Sunday. The heat index or feel-like temperature was 47.2 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature was recorded at 27.6 degrees Celsius. Delhi did not experience a heatwave day in May, although three such days were recorded in April this year.Some areas were hotter than the city’s base station.At 44.1 degrees Celsius, Ayanagar in south-west Delhi was the hottest station on Sunday, followed by 43.6 degrees at Palam. The maximum temperature settled at 42.3 degrees Celsius at Lodhi Road, 42.9 degrees Celsius at Ridge in north Delhi, 40.6 at Rajghat, 41.2 at Pusa, 41.6 at Najafgarh, 40.4 at Mayur Vihar, 41.5 at Gurgaon, 41.4 at Noida, 42.2 at Faridabad, and 39.7 at Ghaziabad.“The maximum temperatures have been recorded between 42-44 degrees Celsius over Delhi with departures of about 2-3 degrees. Though no heatwave condition has been realised over Delhi, it has been recorded in neighbouring Rohtak and Narnaul,” said IMD scientist Krishna Kumar Mishra. “The maximum temperature on June 4 in Delhi was 34.6 degrees Celsius, and it rose to 42.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday. It settled at 47.4 degrees Celsius in Rajasthan’s Gangapur. In just five days, the mercury saw a rise of 6 to 8 degrees Celsius across the region.”“The mercury stayed below normal during the past few days due to moist winds coming from either the Arabian Sea or Bay of Bengal. However, the last thunderstorm activity was on June 4, and since then, dry conditions have prevailed, leading to a rise in temperatures,” he added. IMD has issued a ‘yellow’ alert for hot and humid conditions for Wednesday and Thursday as the mercury may stay between 41 and 43 degrees Celsius. Respite from the sizzling weather is expected from June 13. “Due to the confluence of winds from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, rain and thunderstorms are likely to start from east UP and Uttarakhand from June 11 night,” said Mishra. The met department has predicted rain, thunderstorms, and gusty winds from the night of June 12 to June 14 in Delhi.
