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.

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