NEW DELHI:
A red alert has been issued till May 25 in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and parts of Kerala predicting continued extreme heatwaves in the coming days after the temperature in NCR on Tuesday touched almost 48 degrees Celsius.
The highest maximum temperature recorded on Tuesday was in Haryana’s Sirsa at 47.8 degrees Celsius, followed by 47.4 degrees Celsius in Najafgarh, Delhi.
On Wednesday, the maximum temperature is expected to exceed 47 degrees Celsius in many parts of Northern India.
Amid the forecast of heatwaves, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) urged “extreme care for vulnerable people” due to the heatwave in its seven-day forecast and suggested drinking sufficient water and using ORS or homemade drinks such as lassi, Torani (rice water), lemon water, and buttermilk to stay hydrated.
DELHI WEATHER TODAY
In Delhi, the sky will be mainly clear on Wednesday, however, heatwave conditions are expected in a few places, as per IMD. Strong surface winds, with speeds of 20-30 km/h and occasional gusts, will occur during the day, it said.
Najafgarh recorded a high of 47.4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, a day after the southwest Delhi area had recorded 47.8 degrees Celsius — the highest in the country so far this season.
Higesht temperature in India on Tuesday:
Sirsa (Haryana): 47.8°C
Najafgarh (Delhi): 47.4°C
Pilani (Rajasthan): 47.2°C
Bhatinda Airport) (Punjab): 46.6°C
Agra Taj (Uttar Pradesh): 46.6°C
Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh): 45.6°C
Surendranagar (Gujarat): 45.4°C
Akola (Maharashtra): 44.0°C
Durg (Chhattisgarh): 43.6°C
Una (Himachal Pradesh): 42.4°C
RED ALERT IN SEVERAL PARTS OF KERALA
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a red alert for Pathanamthitta and Idukki districts in Kerala, predicting extremely heavy rainfall on May 22. These districts already have orange alerts in place and are expected to see very heavy rainfall in isolated areas, it said.
Earlier in the day, the IMD had withdrawn red alerts for Pathanamthitta, Idukki, and Kottayam districts but issued new warnings due to the severe weather being predicted.
HEATWAVE WARNING IN GUJARAT, MAX TEMPERATURE TO EXCEED 46°C
Amid heatwave conditions prevailing in several parts of Gujarat, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar on Tuesday recorded a maximum temperature of 45 degrees Celsius, the highest in the state, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) said the maximum temperature in the city was likely to hover around 45 degrees Celsius for the next five days.
Amid a surge in day temperatures, government hospitals witnessed a sudden rise in the number of patients coming with symptoms of heat-related illnesses caused by exposure to the sun.
POWER DEMAND IN DELHI ALL-TIME HIGH
Dehi’s peak power demand reached its highest for May due to the intense heat, prompting the Delhi government to order the closure of schools immediately.
Delhi’s peak power demand reached an all-time high of 7717 MW on May 21 afternoon, amid the prevailing intense summer heat, Discom officials said.
According to the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) Delhi real-time data, the peak demand of the city broke all previous records. The power demand on Monday was recorded at 7,572 MW. It was also higher than the peak power demand recorded last year — 7,438 MW — on August 22.
