Delhi records its warmest May night in 14 years; heatwave conditions persist

Delhi reeled under another day of heat on Thursday, recording its warmest May night in nearly 14 years, with heatwave conditions persisting for the fourth consecutive day in parts of the city.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Safdarjung, the city's base weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 31.9 degrees Celsius, 5.2 notches above normal and 3.6 degrees higher than the previous day. However, the temperatures continued to hover above the 45-degree Celsius mark in parts of the city.

The last time Delhi recorded a higher minimum temperature in May was on May 26, 2012, when the mercury settled at 32.5 degrees Celsius, according to IMD data.

For Friday, the weather office put the city under an orange alert as the minimum temperature is set to stand at 32 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature at 44 degrees Celsius, with a forecast of a heat wave.

Heatwave conditions are expected to continue for the next one week, an official said, urging residents to remain cautious as the prolonged dry spell and soaring temperatures can significantly increase the risk of heat-related illnesses and sunstroke.

Safdarjung and Lodi Road were among the stations that recorded warm night conditions, the weather office said.

A warm night is declared when the maximum temperature remains 40 degrees Celsius or more and the minimum temperature departure is between 4.5 and 6.4 degrees Celsius above normal, according to the IMD.

Heatwave conditions were observed at a few places across Delhi, marking the fourth consecutive day of heatwave conditions in the national capital.

The IMD said heatwave conditions are likely to continue over Delhi during the next seven days due to the prevalence of lower tropospheric dry northwesterly and westerly winds and the absence of any western disturbance affecting the plains of northwest India.

Safdarjung recorded a maximum temperature of 43.6 degrees Celsius, 3.4 notches above normal and 0.9 degrees lower than the previous day.

With 45.3 degrees Celsius, Ridge recorded the highest maximum temperature in the city, 3.1 notches above normal with a decline of 0.5 degrees, while Ayanagar recorded 44.5 degrees Celsius, 2.2 notches above normal and 0.5 degrees lower than the previous day.

Palam logged a maximum temperature of 44.3 degrees Celsius, 3.6 notches above normal with a 24-hour decline of 0.6 degrees, while Lodi Road recorded 44.3 degrees Celsius, 5.3 notches above normal and 0.3 degrees lower than the previous day.

On the minimum temperature front, Palam recorded 30.5 degrees Celsius, 3.4 notches above normal and two degrees higher than the previous day, while Ridge recorded 30.6 degrees Celsius, 4.4 notches above normal with a 24-hour rise of 2.6 degrees.

Lodi Road registered a minimum temperature of 29.6 degrees Celsius, 4.6 notches above normal and 2.8 degrees higher than the previous day, while Ayanagar recorded 27.4 degrees Celsius, 0.7 notch above normal with a rise of 0.4 degrees.

According to the IMD, a heatwave is observed when the maximum temperature crosses 40 degrees Celsius and remains 4.5 to 6.4 degrees above normal.

''Heatwave conditions are expected to continue for the next one week. The northwesterly winds are sweeping into the national capital from the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan and parts of central Pakistan for the past few days. Travelling across vast arid stretches, these winds turn intensely dry by the time they reach Delhi, trapping heat close to the surface and sharply intensifying the searing conditions across the city,'' said Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather.

Palawat said night temperatures have remained high over the last few days due to intense daytime heating.

''The ground does not get sufficient time to release the accumulated heat, leading to persistently warm nights. There is no forecast of thunderstorms or pre-monsoon rainfall activity over the next 10 days, which is further worsening the situation. These dry northwesterly winds are also preventing any significant cooling and are trapping large amounts of heat,'' he said.

Palawat added that the prevailing conditions are likely to persist over the coming days, pushing several parts of Delhi-NCR into heatwave conditions.

He also said the city's air quality has deteriorated due to dust-laden northwesterly winds and extremely dry conditions, leading to higher pollution levels, especially PM10 concentrations.

Meanwhile, Delhi's air quality was recorded in the ''poor'' category with an AQI of 209.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI between zero and 50 is considered ''good'', 51 to 100 ''satisfactory'', 101 to 200 ''moderate'', 201 to 300 ''poor'', 301 to 400 ''very poor'', and 401 to 500 ''severe''.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)