New Delhi: 

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a heatwave is declared when the top temperature hits 40°C or more in plain areas, 37°C or higher in coastal areas, and 30°C or more in hilly regions. Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality was not good. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 239 at 9 am, which falls under the ‘poor’ category.

The national capital on Friday recorded a minimum temperature of 21.6 degrees Celsius. The weather office has warned of a heatwave during the day. At 8:30 am, the humidity level was 24 per cent. The highest temperature for the day is expected to be around 42 degrees Celsius, as per the forecast by the weather department.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), AQI levels between 0–50 are ‘good’, 51–100 are ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 are ‘moderate’, 201–300 are ‘poor’, 301–400 are ‘very poor’, and 401–500 are considered ‘severe’.

Temperature soars across Delhi NCR

The lowest temperatures in Delhi were between 18°C and 24°C. In some areas, it was a little cooler than usual. No rain was recorded at any weather station in the last 24 hours. The humidity dropped to just 13%, making the heat feel even worse. Winds blew from the northwest and southwest at speeds up to 20 km/h and went as high as 30 km/h in some areas, but they didn’t help much to reduce the heat.

On Thursday, Delhi experienced very hot weather again, with temperatures going above the usual for this time of year. Weather reports showed that the maximum temperature in many parts of the city stayed between 41°C and 43°C. Safdarjung, which is considered the main weather station for Delhi, recorded a maximum of 41.2°C, which is 3.5 degrees higher than normal.

The IMD has said that Friday and Saturday will see heatwave conditions in the city. Some parts of Delhi may see temperatures go up to 43 degrees Celsius. The skies will be mostly clear or partly cloudy, and the air will stay dry. The heatwave warning is for all areas in Delhi including the North, South, East, and Central districts. It also includes nearby cities such as Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, and Gurgaon.

From Sunday, the temperature might drop a little, but it will still be quite hot with highs expected in the upper 30s to low 40s until the middle of next week. There won’t be any rainfall, according to the IMD, but there may be some clouds starting Saturday evening, which could give people a little relief from the heat.

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