New Delhi: On Saturday, The Indian Metrological Department said that the minimum temperature in Delhi settled at 28.7 degrees Celsius, which was slightly higher than normal. The maximum temperature is expected to touch 44 degrees Celsius, it said.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert, warning of a heatwave at isolated places in the capital. The weather office said that the national capital is likely to witness clear skies in the day and heatwave conditions are expected at a few places. The mercury may increase to 44 degrees Celsius at the Safdarjung observatory, it said.
On Friday, The Safdarjung observatory, Delhi’s base station, had recorded a maximum temperature of 42.9 degrees Celsius.
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).
According to the IMD, A heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius and at least 4.5 notches above normal. A severe heatwave is declared if the departure from normal temperature is more than 6.4 notches.
Mahesh Palawat, vice president (climate change and meteorology), Skymet Weather said, “Heatwave is back over parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, south Uttar Pradesh and isolated pockets of Delhi-NCR.”