A heatwave hit the national capital region (NCR) as the mercury touched 45 degrees Celsius on Wednesday in Noida and its surrounding areas.

According to officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), there will be no respite from the scorching heat for the next six days as the heatwave conditions will continue in the NCR.

A heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature hits 45 degrees Celsius, or is above 40 degrees in summer with a variation of five degrees or more above normal.

The average maximum temperature of the NCR on Wednesday was 43.1 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season’s average, against 42.3 degrees Celsius a day before.

Areas in Noida, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida and suburbs of Delhi sizzled at 45 degrees Celsius with warm and dry winds maintaining the heatwave conditions, officials said.

“Thursday’s maximum temperature is expected to hover around 44 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature is likely to be around 24 degrees Celsius. The heatwave will continue for the next six days, at least till June 4,” said an official at the IMD.

According to Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency, the warm and dry northwesterly winds blowing at 10-15kmph in the noon and 20kmph towards morning will continue to give commuters a hard time.

“The temperature is likely to rise gradually, and will touch 46 degrees Celsius to 47 degrees Celsius over the next two or three days,” Mahesh Palawat, director, Skymet, said.

Meanwhile, the pollution levels in the NCR oscillated between ‘moderate’ and ‘poor’, with deterioration in Greater Noida and improvement in Noida and Ghaziabad.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), Noida’s air quality is expected to remain in the ‘moderate’ level towards Friday.

While particle pollutants remained the major source of pollution in Noida, ozone turned out to be a major source of pollution in the Greater Noida region, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

According to air quality experts, ozone causes difficulty in breathing and damages lungs.

On Wednesday, the air quality index (AQI), as recorded by CPCB, of Noida was 151 against 164 on Tuesday, both within ‘moderate’ levels. Ghaziabad’s air quality improved, with an AQI of 201 or ‘poor’, against 186 or ‘moderate’ on Tuesday.

Greater Noida’s air quality was also ‘moderate’ on Monday, with an AQI reading of 189, against 201 or ‘poor’ on Tuesday, with ozone as the major pollutant.

First Published: May 30, 2019 13:08 IST