Delhi recorded its second ‘warm night’ this season, with the minimum temperature remaining above 30 degrees Celsius amid slow-moving dust from Rajasthan in the early hours of Monday, even as the yellow alert remained in place for continued extreme heat in the region.
A “warm night” occurs when the maximum temperature is more than 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, and the minimum temperature is 4.5 degrees Celsius or more above normal.
Safdarjung, Delhi’s primary weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 32.4 degrees Celsius, six degrees above normal, making it Delhi’s warmest night in May in 14 years. The last time the temperature rose was on May 27, 2012 at 34.2 degrees Celsius, India Meteorological Department (IMD) data showed. This exceeds the temperature recorded by Delhi of 31.9 degrees Celsius on May 21, the first “warm night” of the season.
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Delhi’s air quality was at the lower end of the ‘poor’ category. An air quality index (AQI) of 206 was recorded at 9am, compared to 205 at 4pm on Sunday.
There are chances of isolated heat wave conditions. Scattered light rain and gusty winds of up to 60 km/h may fall between noon and evening, and the maximum temperature may range between 43-45 degrees Celsius. On Wednesday, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 28.7 degrees Celsius, which is two degrees higher than normal.
A “heatwave” is when the maximum temperature exceeds 40°C, with 4.5°C or more above normal. It is also a heatwave if the maximum temperature exceeds 45°C in the plains. An “extreme heatwave” is when the maximum exceeds 40°C, and the departure is 6.5°C or more above normal.
“Warm night” conditions were recorded in Safdarjung, Ayanagar and Lodhi Road, as slow-moving dust created a fog-like condition in Delhi and other parts of northwest India on Sunday evening, an IMD official said. The IMD issued a yellow alert for possible wind dust in Delhi at 6 pm, but its impact was felt around 9:30 pm. “By 9 and 9:30 pm, dust was detected in Delhi and adjoining areas. There is fog in Palam, Jaipur, Lucknow and Amritsar,” another IMD official said.
There are chances of rain in Delhi from May 28 to 30, as a fresh Western Disturbance begins affecting northwest India from May 28.
