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.
Also read: Tusker chills out in canal to beat summer heat in Uttarakhand
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
