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Delhi-NCR and many parts of north India are experiencing an intense heatwave, with temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius in several places. Due to the extreme heat, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and nearby regions on Thursday. Officials warned people to stay
careful, avoid going out during peak afternoon hours, and drink enough water to prevent heat-related illnesses.
Western Disturbance
At the same time, the IMD has observed a western disturbance developing near northern India and the Himalayan region. According to IMD scientist Naresh Kumar, this weather system has already started affecting the region. Satellite images captured by the INSAT-3DS weather satellite on May 21 showed thick cloud cover over Afghanistan and Pakistan, along with strong moisture flow from the Arabian Sea. Increasing cloud activity was also seen over northeast India and parts of the Bay of Bengal.
Rainfall Alert
The weather department said clouds and intense thunderstorm activity were seen over the southeast Bay of Bengal, the Andaman Sea, and parts of the Arabian Sea. Due to this western disturbance, rain may occur in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and western Uttar Pradesh in the coming days. However, weather experts said it is still unclear how strong the rainfall activity will be.
Heat Alert in Delhi
Despite the possibility of rain, heatwave conditions are expected to continue in many parts of northwest, central, and eastern India for the next six to seven days. The IMD has issued orange alerts for Punjab, Haryana, Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. Red alerts have also been issued for eastern Uttar Pradesh, eastern Madhya Pradesh, and some parts of Vidarbha because of extremely severe heat conditions.
Naresh Kumar said the western disturbance may slowly reduce heatwave conditions in Jammu and Kashmir from Thursday onwards. However, Delhi-NCR is likely to continue experiencing very high temperatures throughout most of the week.
Meanwhile, Delhi recorded its hottest May night in nearly 14 years, with the minimum temperature touching 31.9 degrees Celsius on Thursday. The last time Delhi saw a warmer May night was on May 26, 2012, when the minimum temperature was 32.5 degrees Celsius.