Heat wave returns, mercury soars to 45 deg Celsius in parts of Delhi

Heatwave conditions in parts of Delhi saw temperatures soaring to 44-45 degrees Celsius on Thursday as moisture-carrying easterly winds made way for hot and dry westerlies.

The maximum temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's base station, rose to 42.5 degrees Celsius. It was 41.4 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.

The maximum temperature at Najafgarh (44.7 degrees Celsius), Mungeshpur (45.4 degrees Celsius) and Pitampura (44 degrees Celsius) settled at least five degrees Celsius above normal temperature.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert, warning of a heatwave at most places in the capital on Friday and Saturday.

An orange alert has been issued to caution people about a severe heatwave on Sunday.

The IMD uses four colour codes for weather warnings -- green (no action needed), yellow (watch and stay updated), orange (be prepared) and red (take action).

The mercury is predicted to touch the 45-degree mark at the Safdarjung Observatory on Sunday. Temperatures may leap to 46-47 degrees Celsius at isolated places, weather experts said.

A heatwave spell was predicted over Delhi from Sunday, but easterly winds prevailing in the national capital under the impact of Cyclone Asani shielded the city against it.

Back-to-back patchy rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds had provided some respite from the intense heat last week.

Delhi had witnessed a hot and dry March, gauging nil rainfall against the normal of 15.9 mm. It got 0.3 mm of rainfall in April against a monthly average of 12.2 mm.

A heatwave at the month-end had sent the mercury soaring to 46 and 47 degrees Celsius in several parts of Delhi.