Red alert issued as heatwave intensifies in northern India

Delhi’s residents sweltered in a heatwave on Sunday, with the utmost temperature hitting 5 levels above regular for the second consecutive day, and no respite forecast for the plains till at the very least May 28, prompting a purple alert within the capital in addition to Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

The Safdarjung climate station recorded the utmost temperature at 44.Four levels Celsius. The authorities sounded a purple class alert for Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, west and east Rajasthan on May 25 and 26 for heatwave or extreme heatwaves. A purple class alert implies authorities ought to take motion to keep away from well being emergencies.

South Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh reported heatwaves and Churu in west Rajasthan reported a extreme heatwave on Sunday, with a most temperature of 47.Four levels Celsius.

The warmth was worse in a number of different locations, the place the utmost temperature rose above 46 levelsCelsius.Nagpur Sonegaon within the Vidarbha area recorded 46.2 levels Celsius; Churu in Rajasthan 46.6 levels Celsius, Akola in Maharashtra 46 levels Celsius, in accordance with the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Heatwave situations are very more likely to persist for the subsequent 4 to 5 days, with peak depth on May 25 and 26, IMD mentioned in its Sunday bulletin, citing dry northwesterly winds blowing over the plains of northwest India and central India and the north-south trough in decrease tropospheric ranges from east India to south-peninsular India.

“We don’t see any signs of maximum temperatures falling till May 28. From May 28, we are expecting dust storms and thunderstorms due to a western disturbance. Wind speed will increase to 50 to 60 kmph and there will be clouding. Right now, very dry hot northwesterly winds are blowing over entire northwest India. Sunrays are also vertical, making its impact very intense, humidity has been only 30% to 40%,” mentioned Kuldeep Shrivastava, head of the regional climate forecasting centre.

The most temperature in Delhi’s Aya Nagar was 45.6 levels Celsius, 6 levels above regular and 44.2 levels Celsius at Lodhi Road.

IMD’s bulletin added that heatwave situations had been possible over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Telangana throughout the subsequent 4-5 days. Similar situations had been predicted in some pockets over Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Marathawada, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Rayalseema and north-interior Karnataka throughout subsequent 3-Four days.

Because of sturdy southerly winds from Bay of Bengal to northeastern states at decrease tropospheric ranges, heavy to very heavy rainfall is probably going at some locations over Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh from May 24 to 28, in accordance with IMD. Heavy rainfall can also be possible over elements of south-peninsular India on May 26 and 27.