Delhi's Safdarjung may touch 45 degree Celsius today, weather dept issues orange alert

NEW DELHI: The mercury rose sharply in the morning itself on Saturday and remained above the 40-degree mark till evening, giving no relief to Delhiites venturing out for work.
“By 10.30am, most weather stations in Delhi had touched 40 degrees Celsius on Saturday. It remained above 40 degrees for many hours,” said R K Jenamani, senior scientist at IMD.
Safdarjung, the city’s base station, recorded 44.2 degrees Celsius, five degrees above normal, the highest of the season so far, even as three city stations — Mungeshpur, Najafgarh and Pitampura (46.4 degrees) — reporting severe heat wave conditions. Neighbouring Gurgaon was among the hottest spots in the region with the maximum climbing to 46.8 degrees C on Saturday.
Mungeshpur and Najafgarh were among 15 stations in the country where the maximum temperature was 47 degrees Celsius or above. At 48.8 degrees Celsius, Banda in Uttar Pradesh was the hottest station in the country.
“The maximum temperature increased by two degrees at Safdarjung and a few stations, while stations like Mungeshpur and Najafgarh remained high like Friday. As parts of west Rajasthan and south Haryana reported maximum temperature around 47-48 degrees Celsius, stations in Delhi situated close to western side saw highest temperatures,” Jenamani said.
Safdarjung saw a 1.7-degree rise in day temperature over Friday’s maximum temperature. This was the first time this year that the mercury had crossed 44 degrees at Safdarjung saw the mercury level crossing 44 degrees Celsius. Before this, the highest maximum temperature recorded this year at Safdarjung station was 43.5 degrees Celsius for three consecutive days — April 28 to 30.
In 2021, the highest maximum temperature in May was recorded at 41.5 degrees Celsius on May 5, while it was 46 degrees Celsius in 2020 on May 27, according to IMD’s data.
The minimum temperature on Saturday settled at 26.5 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal. The relative humidity oscillated between 14% and 83%.
The met department has issued an ‘orange’ alert for Sunday as the maximum temperature at Safdarjung may rise further to 45 degrees Celsius. Parts of the capital may again see day temperature surpassing 47 degrees Celsius. The IMD has predicted heatwave to severe heatwave conditions for Sunday.
In the current season, Safdarjung recorded 11 heatwave days so far, including nine in April and two in May. The IMD has predicted that heatwave conditions are unlikely from May 16 to 19. There is a possibility of dust storm and thunderstorm on May 16. “A western disturbance is going to impact the region on Monday, leading to a dip in temperature. However, rain is unlikely for the next few days,” said a met official.