Delhi heatwave: Delhi feels like 50 degrees, Nainital heatwave: How India is burning

New Delhi:

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Delhi, Highway, Haryana and Punjab amid an intense heatwave that has engulfed the national capital and its surrounding states over the past week. Temperatures soar above 46 degrees across northern India including Uttarakhand, Bihar and Jharkhand. In Bihar, 22 people died due to extreme heat and high humidity in the past 24 hours.

Delhi ‘feels like’ 50 degrees Celsius

In the national capital, the maximum temperature is likely to settle around 45 degrees Celsius, more than 6 degrees higher than the normal June temperature. According to the IMD, the heat index, or temperature-like temperature, in Delhi rose to 50 degrees Celsius on Monday.

A Delhi to West Bengal IndiGo flight was delayed for more than three hours on Monday due to a technical fault caused by rising global temperatures. While the national capital will see slight relief from Wednesday due to scattered rains and dust storms, there is no long-term relief in sight at the moment.

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) recorded the highest maximum temperature of 47.6°C over the country on June 17, 2024.#Maximum temperature#prayagraj#UttarPradesh#A hot wave@moesgoi@ndmaindia@DDNational@airnewsalerts@RailMinIndia@DDNewslive@NHAI_Officialpic.twitter.com/zvPeqBRvT6

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) June 17, 2024

Temperatures are rising across Uttarakhand, J&K

In Uttarakhand, Dehradun recorded a maximum temperature of 43.1 degrees Celsius while the temperature in Mussoorie reached 43 degrees Celsius. Even hill towns like Puri and Nainital are witnessing a heatwave after little or no rain in the last three months.

The Himachal Pradesh hill state recorded a temperature of 44 degrees, 6.7 degrees above average. In Jammu and Kashmir, Katra recorded a maximum temperature of 40.8 degrees Celsius, while the mercury touched 44.3 degrees in Jammu.

In Prayagraj in UP, the maximum temperature was recorded at 47.6 degrees Celsius.

Today, heatwave to intense heatwave prevailed over most parts of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi and Uttar Pradesh; In some parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Bihar, north of Madhya Pradesh; In isolated pockets over Odisha. pic.twitter.com/rvsxopk69x

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) June 17, 2024

Relief from the heat wave soon?

As temperatures continue to rise, temperatures are expected to ease slightly next week. A respite from the sweeping heatwave is expected this week, but a shift in winds across the Arabian Sea has delayed cooling of the plains, former IMD director general KJ Ramesh told NDTV.

“The other reason is that the monsoon has been stagnating in West Bengal since June 1. As long as the monsoon does not cover these areas, north India will remain under a continuous heat wave,” he added.

However, Mr. Saxena added that Delhi may see some “intermittent relief” due to dust storms and scattered rain, but it can only provide relief for “a few hours or half a day.”

After Wednesday, a fresh western disturbance will approach northwest India, which will also affect the national capital and provide relief from the sweltering heat, according to the Meteorological Office.

“The real drop in temperature will only happen when the monsoon arrives,” he added, adding that it would take more than 12 days for the monsoon to reach Delhi.

“After June 27, most districts of Uttar Pradesh will get relief followed by western UP, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab,” he said.