Heatwave builds up in parts of Delhi; mercury crosses 46 degrees Celsius at Najafgarh

A heatwave broiled parts of Delhi on Friday, with the mercury soaring to 46.1 degrees Celsius at Najafgarh. The weather stations at Jafarpur and Mungeshpur recorded a maximum temperature of 45.6 degrees Celsius and 45.4 degrees Celsius, respectively.

New Delhi: A heatwave broiled parts of Delhi on Friday, with the mercury soaring to 46.1 degrees Celsius at Najafgarh. The weather stations at Jafarpur and Mungeshpur recorded a maximum temperature of 45.6 degrees Celsius and 45.4 degrees Celsius, respectively, six notches above normal for this time of the year. Pitampura also reeled under heatwave conditions, recording a maximum temperature of 44.7 degrees Celsius.

The Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's base station, recorded a high of 42.5 degrees Celsius. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert, warning of a severe heatwave at many places in the capital on Saturday. A yellow alert has been issued to caution people about a heatwave on Sunday.

The IMD uses four colour codes for weather warnings -- green (no action needed), yellow (watch and stay updated), orange (be prepared) and red (take action). The mercury is predicted to touch the 44-degree mark at the Safdarjung Observatory on Saturday. Temperatures may leap to 47 degrees Celsius at isolated places, weather experts said.

Cloudy sky may provide some relief from the intense heat next week. This is the fifth heatwave -- one in March and three in April -- in the capital this summer season. With scanty rains owing to feeble western disturbances, Delhi had recorded its second hottest April this year since 1951 with a monthly average maximum temperature of 40.2 degrees Celsius.

A heatwave at the month-end had sent the mercury soaring to 46 and 47 degrees Celsius in several parts of the city. The capital got a miniscule 0.3 mm of rainfall in April against a monthly average of 12.2 mm. March saw nil rainfall against the normal of 15.9 mm. The IMD had predicted above-normal temperatures in May.

PTI