The scorching summer heat has gripped Delhi with no respite expected over the next week. The temperature hovered around 44 degrees Celsius in most parts of the national capital amid the continuing heat wave that swept northern India over the past few days.
Several states in northern, central and western India are currently experiencing a severe heatwave, forcing regional administrations to take emergency countermeasures.
Temperatures at the station in Delhi
Ayanagar, Ridge, Lodhi Road, Palam and Safdarjung recorded temperatures close to 45 degrees Celsius on Sunday. The new rise in mercury comes after a brief respite from the rains in the national capital on Saturday evening.
The Meteorological Department had earlier predicted that the heat wave would resume in Delhi from Sunday, May 24 onwards, after a brief respite on Saturday.
According to updates from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a heatwave is a period of unusually high temperatures compared to what is usually expected in the region. Many states experience extreme heat with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.
A heat wave is very likely over the next six days, according to the daily weather report and forecast bulletin issued by IMD.
Weather forecast for next week in Delhi
While a heatwave will prevail over most parts of northwest India over the next week, a severe heatwave alert has been issued for Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh and Haryana on May 25, 26 and 27, with an orange alert issued on these dates.
UP CM commands uninterrupted power supply
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday chaired a meeting of officials on the growing power demand and directed officials to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply in rural and urban areas.
The meeting comes at a time when northern India is witnessing extreme heat, leading to a sudden rise in energy demand due to the intense heat wave.
The UP CM instructed the officials to increase the power generation capacity and operate all units at full efficiency.
The meeting was attended by Energy Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma and Minister of State Kailash Singh Rajput along with officials from the Ministry of Energy, Power Corporation and other officials.
The state saw a peak electricity demand of 30,339 megawatts this year, with the temperature in cities like Banda reaching a new record high.
