The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said a severe heatwave will prevail in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan for the next three days, giving no relief to residents from the unrelenting heat. On Monday, Mungeshpur in Delhi was the hottest area in the city with the maximum temperature recorded at 48.8 degrees Celsius, while Rajasthan's Phalodi was the warmest in the country at 49.4 degrees.
In its latest weather bulletin, the IMD said that heatwave conditions are also likely in parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh in the same three-day period.
In Delhi, where a red alert is currently in place, the weather office predicted the maximum temperature on Tuesday to increase to 46 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature stood at 27 degrees Celsius.
On Monday, the Safdarjung observatory, considered the official marker of the city, recorded its second-highest maximum temperature of the season at 45.1 degrees Celsius, 4.7 notches above normal, while the minimum was 29.2 degrees Celsius.
Delhi recorded its highest maximum temperature on Sunday with the mercury searing to 45.4 degrees Celsius, the first heatwave day in the national capital.
Delhi saw four heatwave days in 2022, while there were none last year.
While Mungeshpur was the hottest in Delhi at 48.8 degrees Celsius, Najafgarh came in a close second at 48.6 degrees Celsius.
Both were eight notches above normal.
Meanwhile, across the country, at least 17 locations breached the 48 degrees mark on Monday as a result of the intense heat.
The mercury in Haryana's Sirsa surged to 48.4 degrees, while Punjab's Bathinda recorded 48.4 degrees, 48.1 degrees in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi and 48.7 degrees in Madhya Pradesh's Niwari.
Temperatures across Himachal Pradesh also increased as a result of heatwave conditions. While Una baked at 44 degrees Celsius, Mandi recorded a high of 39.4 degrees.
On Monday, the IMD predicted relief from the unrelenting heatwave in northwestern and central parts of India in three days due to an incoming western disturbance.
"Expect relief from the heat wave in northwest and central parts of the country after three days due to a western disturbance and moisture incursion from the Arabian Sea. There could be some thunderstorm activity in northwest India and rain in the western Himalayan region," IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.
He also said that normal to above-normal minimum temperatures are expected in most parts of the country in June.
