New Delhi: The MeT on Friday raised the heatwave alert in Delhi-NCR from yellow to orange as for the second consecutive day as the mercury was expected to touch 45 degrees Celsius in several pockets. Dry “loo” (hot blasts of wind) blew across the city even before noon with temperature hovering around 43 degrees Celsius by just after noon as a dry spate continued across the region. As per India Meteorological Department on Friday, the relative humidity in the city was recorded at 28 per cent at 8.30 am. Around 12 pm the relative humidity dropped to 13 per cent, as per Skymet. The heatwave will continue despite strong gusty winds. Sunday may see some respite from heatwaves, but the mercury will soar again from Monday, the weather office said. The IMD’s orange alert indicates severe heat alert for the day. It warned of an increased risk of heat-related symptoms among people if exposed to sun for long period. The forecast is also for strong winds of around 40 to 50 kmph likely to continue in the evening or night. With the minimum temperature on Friday recorded two notches above normal at 25.8 degrees Celsius, the wind may provide some respite. However, with the minimum temperatures through the weekdays expected to remain at 29 mostly, as per Skymet data, it could further increase discomfort. There will be slight dip in mercury on May 5 and 6. the private weather office data showed, but it will once more rise till 43 degrees by May 8, when the minimum temperature will add to discomfort as it may also hover above 30 degrees. On Thursday, the maximum temperature in the national capital was recorded at 43.5 degree Celsius, the second warmest April in the past 52 years and the warmest day of the month since 2010. The IMD has forecast heatwave conditions over Northwest and Central India till next week but may abate thereafter. This is while rain and thunderstorm accompanied with lightning and gusty winds will likely to continue over Northeast India, still not touched by the unprecedented heat that is taking a toll on the rest of the country. For the plains. a heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius and at least 4.5 notches above normal. The minimum temperature, usually recorded at night, was also above normal over the past 24 hours at 25.8 degrees Celsius, two degrees above the normal for this time of the year. Parts of northwest, central and east India have continued to remain the grip of a heatwave since April 27. On Thursday, besides Delhi, parts of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Odisha recorded heatwave conditions. The spell is likely to continue over northwest and central Iover the next five days, and over the eastern states for the next two days, according to the IMD. The maximum temperature over northwest India may likely rise by two degrees more in the next 24 hours till Saturday, it stated. With a western disturbance affecting parts of northwest India, dust storms are likely in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan on Saturday. The strong winds raising dust will affect the AQI sending it to ‘poor’ category on Friday and Saturday, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System. UNI ING
