An intense heatwave scorched parts of north India on Sunday with places in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh recording 49 degrees Celsius. Delhi faced scorching temperatures on Sunday (May 15) as Najafgarh and Mungeshpur recorded the maximum temperature of 49 degrees according to India Meteorological Department.
In Delhi, the Safdarjung observatory recorded 45.6 degrees Celsius while two weather stations at Mungeshpur in northwest Delhi and Najafgarh in southwest Delhi reported 49.2 and 49.1 degrees Celsius, respectively. The city broke the record for maximum temperature on the second day straight. The temperature at Safdarjung was the highest this season. Yesterday the maximum temperature of Delhi was recorded at 45.6℃, while in Mungeshpur, Delhi 49.2℃ and Najafgarh at 49.1℃.
The weather office said under the influence of a western disturbance, dust storm and thunderstorm were expected over northern parts of Punjab and Haryana on Monday, while a mild dust storm was likely over remaining parts of Punjab, Haryana, west Uttar Pradesh and at isolated pockets of Delhi NCR.
As per the forecast of the Meteorological Department for Monday (May 16), the maximum temperature of Delhi can be 41 ° C today, which is expected to be 4.6 ° C less than the maximum temperature recorded yesterday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said this lack of rain is the primary catalyst for the intense, and prolonged, heat spell across the region, with Delhi in particular not recording any significant western disturbance in this time either.
Ever since the onset of the sweltering heat in Delhi, there have been reports of people succumbing to heatstrokes. There are also cases of people falling ill on the streets and getting admitted to the hospital owing to the skin burning temperatures. According to doctors, the cause of such illness can be a heat stroke. The main reason for this is the excessive increase in body temperature.
A western disturbance is expected from Monday, it will be a weak one again and is unlikely to bring any rain. Another western disturbance is forecast for May 21, but this too is unlikely to be accompanied by showers. “The second western disturbance is likely to cause gusty winds and dust storms. The maximum will drop by a few degrees, but stay above 40°C,” a Met official said.
