Large parts of northern and central India experienced intense heatwave conditions on May 28, with temperatures soaring beyond 50 degrees Celsius in Rajasthan’s Churu and Haryana’s Sirsa, while settling nine notches above normal in Delhi.
In Delhi, at least three weather stations recorded maximum temperatures of 49 degrees Celsius or higher. Mungeshpur and Narela in Delhi topped the charts at 49.9 degrees Celsius, followed closely by Najafgarh at 49.8 degrees Celsius, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
This marked the highest maximum temperature recorded in the capital this season. However, it’s noteworthy that Mungeshpur and Narela weather stations were established in 2022, thus possessing records for only the past three years.
The IMD indicated potential relief from the scorching heatwave after May 30. They forecasted a fresh western disturbance over parts of northwest India, expected to bring isolated rainfall to the region over the upcoming weekend.
Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of IMD, attributed the heatwave conditions in northwest and central India to the absence of western disturbances during the latter half of May. Western disturbances are extra-tropical weather systems originating over the Mediterranean Sea, moving from west to east.
According to the IMD, ten weather stations recorded their highest-ever maximum temperatures for the month. Notable among these were Agra-Taj (48.6 degrees Celsius), Dehri in Bihar (47 degrees Celsius), and Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh (48.2 degrees Celsius).
In some respite, several districts in south Rajasthan experienced a drop in temperatures of up to four notches on May 28 due to moist winds from the Arabian Sea, hinting at the abatement of heatwave conditions in northwest India.
Numerical weather prediction models suggested this cooling trend would extend further northward, offering gradual relief from the heatwave starting May 30. Additionally, the IMD anticipated a decrease in maximum temperatures over Uttar Pradesh from May 30 onwards, attributed to the incursion of moist winds from the Bay of Bengal.
The IMD reported widespread heatwave conditions across Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and isolated pockets of Bihar and Himachal Pradesh on the day. Additionally, heatwave conditions persisted in Vidarbha, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, and isolated areas of Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh.
Churu in Rajasthan recorded the highest temperature in the country at 50.5 degrees Celsius, followed closely by Sirsa-AWS in Haryana at 50.3 degrees Celsius. Other areas experiencing severe heatwave conditions included Ganganagar in Rajasthan and Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, both recording temperatures of 49 degrees Celsius.
The IMD also forecasted warm night conditions in isolated pockets over the next few days in Uttar Pradesh, east Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi.