Delhi and NCR are prone to heatwaves during the four-day term, with temperatures in some places in the state reaching above 45°C and the India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow caution statement to the capital, advising its citizens to anticipate hot and dry days.
The national capital, New Delhi, recorded the hottest day of the season several places in the city reaching over 43°C. Weather stations in Ayanagar, Ridge and Palam set temperatures hitting nearly 45 degrees Celsius, heralding a hot summer season across North India.
Heatwave conditions were forecast to continue until at least Friday after strong, dry and warm winds from Rajasthan and the nearby areas that scorched the day, the IMD forecast figures released earlier this week showed. No rain and no clouds helped to push the temperature even higher in Delhi-NCR.
The weather department said residents shouldn’t step outside at peak hours in the afternoon unless necessary. Health professionals, for another, warned that long exposure to harsh heat could also increase the risk of heatstroke, dehydration, fatigue and other heat-related ailments, particularly among children, the elderly and people with a medical condition.
People are told to look after themselves, remain hydrated, wear light-colored clothes, such as cotton, and drink fluids regularly. Also, officials advised avoiding vigorous outdoor activity on days and protecting pets and livestock from extremely high temperatures.
Even this current heatwave in Delhi is one of the outcomes of the worsening air quality around the city. Stagnant atmospheric conditions and hot sunlight that might drive up air pollution levels over the next couple of days are only continuing to do so, officials at the weather said, adding that this could worsen cities’ air quality even further.
There is also a lot of heatwave weather hitting northern and central India - including the provinces of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh. For instance, in some areas, temperatures this week could remain 3 to 5 degrees above the average, IMD said.
And for IMD, you get yet another yellow warning: watch the weather and watch out. If the temperatures keep rising, there will be more severe warnings from authorities in the following days. In fact, Delhiites, too, are expected to be suffering from bad nighttime temperatures, with temperatures stubbornly high at minimums based on the heat of a hot wind and the bottomless heat of city life.
There could be no assistance for some period, there could be assistance for a while, experts say, if western disturbances turn to a cloud state, or thunderstorms in the second term this month.
