New Delhi:

Parts of Delhi today received heavy rain, bringing relief from the prevailing sultry conditions. Visuals shared by the news agency ANI showed heavy downpours in Munirka, Sarita Vihar, and other parts of the national capital with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting more showers during the day.

#WATCH | Parts of Delhi receive heavy rainfall, bringing respite from heat.

Visuals from Sarita Vihar area. pic.twitter.com/OHkSOURVpB

— ANI (@ANI) June 27, 2024

“Light to moderate intensity rain and gusty winds with speed of 30-40 Km/h would occur over and adjoining areas of few places of Delhi during the next two hours,” the IMD said in a post on X at 7:30 AM.

The weather agency also predicted rain over Ghaziabad, Noida, and Gurugram.

Ghaziabad, Indirapuram, Chhapraula, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad) Panipat, Gohana, Gannaur (Haryana) Baraut, Bagpat, Meerut, Khekra, Modinagar, Pilakhua, Hapur, Gulaoti (U.P.) during next 2 hours. pic.twitter.com/qJ95g6K1SA

— RWFC New Delhi (@RWFC_ND) June 27, 2024

The much-awaited rain came after Delhi and other parts of north India witnessed weeks of intense spells of heatwave.

Delhi had been reeling from the sweltering heat and has recorded nine heatwave days in June so far against none in 2023 and 2022.

Earlier on Wednesday, the IMD predicted that Delhi’s maximum and minimum temperatures today would be around 38 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The Safdarjung Observatory, the capital’s primary weather station, had recorded a temperature of 39 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, two notches above normal.

Monsoon Expected To Arrive In Delhi By End Of This Week

The monsoon could arrive in Delhi by the end of this week, a private weather agency forecast on Wednesday.

According to Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather Services, “The monsoon is expected to reach Delhi on June 29 or 30.” 

The IMD, however, has not shared any details of when the monsoon current is likely to enter the capital.

The monsoon current typically enters the city between June 27 and June 29. Last year, it arrived on June 26 while the first monsoon showers of 2022 were recorded on June 30.

New Delhi:

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Delhi, UP, Haryana and Punjab amid an intense heatwave that has swept the national capital and surrounding states over the last week.

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority has issued guidelines to minimise the heat wave impact and to prevent serious ailment or death because of heat stroke.

• Avoid going out in the sun, especially between noon and 3:00 pm
• Drink sufficient water as often as possible, even if you are not thirsty
• Wear lightweight, light-coloured, loose, and porous cotton clothes. 
• Use protective goggles, an umbrella/hat, shoes or chappals while going out in the sun.
• Avoid strenuous activities when the outside temperature is high.
• Avoid working outside between noon and 3 pm
• While travelling, carry water with you. Avoid alcohol, tea, coffee and carbonated soft drinks, which dehydrate the body.
• Avoid high-protein food and do not eat stale food.
• If you work outside, use a hat or an umbrella and also use a damp cloth on your head, neck, face and limbs
• Do not leave children or pets in parked vehicles
• If you feel faint or ill, see a doctor immediately.
• Use ORS, homemade drinks like lassi, Torani (rice water), lemon water, buttermilk, etc. which helps to rehydrate the body.
• Keep animals in the shade and give them plenty of water to drink.
• Keep your home cool, use curtains, shutters or sunshades and open windows at night.
•  Use fans, and damp clothing and bathe in cold water frequently.

New Delhi:

The national capital reeled under heat wave conditions for the fifth day on Friday with the mercury soaring to 45.8 degrees Celsius, six notches above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The weather department also said the national capital recorded only two rainy days this May, the lowest in 10 years.

The IMD issued a ‘yellow alert’ for Saturday and predicted generally cloudy skies with the possibility of thunderstorms and dust storms accompanied by light showers and gusty winds at speeds of 30 to 40 kmph.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to reach 44 and 20 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The MeT has four colour-coded warnings — green (no action needed), yellow (watch and stay updated), orange (be prepared) and red (take action).

Friday’s mercury reading is the second-highest maximum temperature recorded by Delhi’s primary weather station, the Safdarjung Observatory, this summer so far.

The MeT said the minimum was recorded at 29 degrees Celsius. The city’s relative humidity oscillated between 38 per cent and 23 per cent during the day.

The city broke its temperature records this month, noting a 79-year high of 46.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, according to the IMD data.

On June 17, 1945, the national capital noted a maximum temperature of 46.7 degrees Celsius.

On Wednesday, Mungeshpur recorded 52.9 degrees Celsius. The IMD said in a statement that they are examining the sensors and data of the area’s weather station for any potential errors.

However, the weather department has not yet issued any report on the inspection of the sensors in Mungeshpur.

The national capital is also facing water shortage due to the unprecedented summer heat.

This month also saw the least number of rainy days in the last 10 years. Delhi saw only two rainy days this May, compared to 11 in 2023, seven in 2022, 12 in 2021, and seven in 2020.

The average maximum and minimum temperatures in May stood at 41.4 degrees Celsius and 26.5 degrees Celsius, respectively, the weather office said.

According to the IMD, the threshold for a heatwave is met when the maximum temperature of a weather station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees in the coastal areas, and 30 degrees in the hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 notches.

A severe heat wave is declared if the departure from normal exceeds 6.4 notches.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The story so far: At least five people in Bihar’s Aurangabad city reportedly died on Thursday due to a sunstroke, news agency Reuters reported. Parts of north and central India continued to reel under a severe heatwave on Thursday, even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted a gradual fall in temperature over the next five days. On Wednesday, an automatic weather station in Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 52.9 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature on record in the capital. The IMD, however, said that this could be due to “an error in sensor or local factors”, since the recorded temperature was an outlier. The IMD is said that it is examining the data and sensors.

Ten more people were reported dead government hospital in Odisha’s Rourkela region on Thursday due to the heat. A 40-year-old labourer in Delhi died due to a heatstroke (a condition in which the body temperature increases beyond 40 degrees C) on Thursday, The Indian Express reported. Despite these reports, it must be noted that heat-related deaths are widely underreported.

What does IMD’s latest report say?

As per the IMD report released Friday afternoon, maximum temperatures in northwest and central India are predicted to fall gradually by 2-3 degrees C in the next three days.

Maximum temperatures on Thursday in most parts of Delhi, Haryana, and Chandigarh, as well as large parts of Rajasthan, and isolated pockets over eastern Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha were recorded in the range of 45-48 degrees C.

Parts of western Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and coastal Andhra Pradesh, and isolated pockets over Gujarat, Telangana, and Rayalaseema recorded maximum temperatures in the range of 42-45 degrees C.

How do heatwaves arise?

Some experts believe that post El Niño warming has contributed to higher-than-usual temperatures in north India this year.

El Niño and La Niña are atmospheric patterns that influence the warming and the cooling of sea surface temperatures in the Central and Equatorial Pacific. The two opposing patterns occur in an irregular cycle called the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, with a neutral period in between.

In March 2024, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) announced that even though the 2023-24 El Niño, which peaked as one of the strongest on record and has declined since, will continue to impact climate for the coming months. This exacerbates the heat captured by anthropogenically produced greenhouse gases, causing higher temperatures.

The IMD, in its May bulletin, said that weak El Niño conditions are currently observed over equatorial Pacific and are likely to weaken further and convert into ENSO neutral (the Australian Bureau of Meteorology had already announced on April 16 that the ENSO cycle is now in neutral).

A study published in 2016 had predicted that if El Niño activity increases in the future, heatwaves in India were likely to intensify.

During El Niño, surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific rise, and trade winds — east-west winds that blow near the Equator — weaken. Normally, easterly trade winds blow from the Americas towards Asia. Due to El Niño, they falter and change direction to turn into westerlies.

ENSO, however, does not cause extreme heat in isolation. Teleconnections, which are the relationships between global weather and wind patterns, impact each other. The Walker circulation, which involves the trade winds that blow from east to west along the Equator, are affected by ENSO due to teleconnections.

El Niño is associated with a shift in Walker circulation, causing a large-scale redistribution of heat and moisture. Heat redistribution on the surface impacts airflows above the ocean. It is known that El Niño diminishes Indian monsoon since the weakened Walker circulation disrupts the flow of moist air from the Indian Ocean towards the Indian subcontinent, reducing the moisture available in the winds, hence creating drier conditions.

El Niño also creates high-pressure areas over the Indian subcontinent, which suppress cloud formation and precipitation. The absence of clouds is also contributing to the current heatwave in north and central India.

What’s the cause of North India’s heat?

Delhi and most parts of north and central India that are currently under a heatwave spell, are far from the influence of oceans that can regulate temperatures and air moisture. Continental air, which is a large volume of dry air over a land mass, greatly affects the weather in Delhi because of its inland location. Tropical air masses that originate in the Thar Desert and other hotter, drier regions to the west and northwest of India bring increased heat to Delhi and surrounding areas, contributing to heatwave conditions.

Another important factor exacerbating heatwave conditions in India is loss of tree cover. “The vast expanses of open areas with very little or no trees increase the impact of direct sunlight,” Indu K. Murthy, head of Climate, Environment and Sustainability at CSTEP, told The Hindu. According to the Global Forest Watch, India lost 2.33 million hectare of tree cover from 2001 to 2023, which is equivalent to a 6% decrease in tree cover since 2000, and 1.20 billion tonnes of CO₂e emissions.

In urban areas, the urban heat island (UHI) effect is also at play and contributes to hot conditions. In the UHI effect, urban areas are significantly warmer than their surroundings because building materials like concrete, asphalt, bricks, etc. have higher thermal inertia and absorb and retain more heat than natural landscapes, causing a localised increase in temperature. Densely packed buildings lack proper airflow that allows for cooling.

A study published in Nature journal on May 15, 2024 found that urbanisation alone has led to a 60% enhancement in warming in Indian cities. The UHI effect contributes to global warming as it is associated with an increased demand for energy which leads to a higher production of greenhouse gases. The UHI effect can also impact climate factors other than heat, like rainfall, pollution, etc.

A report by the Centre for Science and Environment, published in May 2024, found that cities are not cooling down at night at the same rate that they used to, not giving people a chance to recover from the daytime heat. “Hot nights are as dangerous as midday peak temperatures,” the study noted. In Delhi, nights are slightly cooler by just 11.2 degrees C, which is 9% down from 2001-2010.

The CSE report also said that the UHI effect is stronger at night than daytime in Delhi.

Is the Delhi Heat Action Plan enough?

Delhi has a Heat Action Plan in place for 2024-2025, but at this stage, it is more like a set of guidelines.

“While the Heat Action Plan of Delhi is a fantastic first step, what is needed is building of capacity across the ecosystem, and the access to funds and facilities that could be utilised without too much bureaucratic hurdles. More importantly, a more disaggregated approach to looking at the problem, applying the demographic and socio-economic lens is a must, as many of the generic solutions may not really serve the under-privileged lower economic strata of people,” Dr. Murthy from CSTEP said.

The Hindu tried reaching out to the Delhi Disaster Management Authority to inquire about the steps it has undertaken to implement the Heat Action Plan, but did not receive a response.

Aditya Valiathan Pillai, a fellow at Sustainable Futures Collaborative, said if we don’t start now, we won’t be able to beat the heat in 10 years. “Delhi has to play catch-up over the next couple of years, as implementing the ideas mentioned in the HAP takes time. My concern with this plan is it doesn’t talk about financing. [The government] needs to figure out how it is going to finance this long list of solutions it has proposed,” Mr. Pillai said.

He added that the plan needs to be grounded in some legal structure for it to “have weight within the bureaucracy and the government”.

A 40-year-old man from Bihar’s Darbhanga died at Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia hospital yesterday after he suffered a heatstroke during the record-breaking heatwave in the national capital. The man was admitted to the hospital late Monday night.

A doctor who attended to him said he was living in a room with no cooler or fan and had high fever. The body temperature, the doctor said, crossed the 107 degrees Celsius mark — nearly 10 degrees above normal. This is the first heat-stroke death reported in Delhi this summer.

The national capital has been living its summer nightmare with record-breaking temperatures, all-time high power demand and a crippling water crisis. The Mungeshpur weather station on the city’s outskirts recorded a reading of 52.9 degrees Celsius — the highest-ever for any station in the country. The weather office is now investigating if the Mungeshpur station’s record reading was due to a sensor error or local factors.

M Mohapatra, director general of India Meteorological Department, has said that of the 20 monitoring stations in Delhi, 14 recorded a drop in temperature yesterday and the average across the city was in the 45-50 degrees Celsius range. He said the Mungeshpur station is an “outlier”, and the recording needs to be confirmed.

Regardless of the numbers and records, residents of the capital are reeling under a severe heatwave for the past week. To add to the weather woes, several parts of Delhi are suffering due to a drinking water crisis. The Aam Aadmi Party government has accused the Haryana government of denying Delhi its share of Yamuna water.

Areas such as Geeta Colony and some parts of Chanakyapuri are receiving limited water supply through tankers.

Visuals shared by news agency ANI showed people surrounding a water tanker and jostling with each other to collect their daily supply.

“The tanker comes daily, but we are getting half a tanker here for 3,000-4,000 people. It is so hot, we need water, but we are not getting enough of it,” a local resident Vinay said, alleging that local representatives are not listening to them.

In a video shared by news agency IANS, some residents of Sangam Vihar alleged that they have to pay around Rs 1,000 to 1,250 rupees to fill a small tank from the tanker.

The Delhi government has now appealed to residents to use drinking judiciously. As many as 200 teams have been formed to identity and check water wastage cases. Activities such as washing cars with hose pipe, overflowing water tanks and use of drinking water for commercial purposes will attract a Rs 2000 fine.

New Delhi:

As Delhi boils at scorching temperatures reaching up to 47 degrees Celsius, the capital’s electricity usage has reached an incredible peak of 8,000 MW today, its highest-ever peak power demand.

Peak power demand in Delhi reached 8,000 MW at 3:42 pm today, according to officials.

The subsequent spikes in electricity use reflect the searing heatwave in Delhi, which has led residents to use air conditioners and other cooling devices more frequently than usual.

A ‘red alert’ has been issued in the city by the Meteorological Department for the next three days.

According to the seven-day forecast, Delhi’s maximum temperature will be around 44 to 47 degrees Celsius.

The Delhi government has ordered all schools to start summer vacations with immediate effect.