Heatwave Scorches North India, Orange Alert in Delhi for Sunday; Heavy Rain Predicted in Kerala

North India was in the grip of a searing heatwave on Saturday with temperatures crossing 45 degrees Celsius. Delhi was a hot cauldron with many areas recording a maximum temperature of 47 degrees Celsius, at least seven notches above normal and little relief in sight predicted in the next couple of days. Down south, however, the Met issued a red alert for Kerala’s Ernakulam and Idukki districts indicating extremely heavy rainfall. It also issued an orange alert for southern districts of Kerala till May 16.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for several districts of Rajasthan as Dholpur burned at 48.5 degrees Celsius. Jammu, too, recorded the season’s hottest day. The scorching heatwave is predicted to worsen on Sunday with an orange alert issued to caution people of its severity. But, a thunderstorm or a dust storm is also likely in the national capital on May 16.

The weather department said this was the fifth heatwave in Delhi this summer after it recorded its second hottest April since 1951. The city and adjoining areas recorded a monthly average maximum temperature of 40.2 degrees Celsius.

“Hot and dry westerly winds sweeping the Delhi-NCR region will push the mercury further up. It is likely to hit the 45-degree mark at Safdarjung on Sunday,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president (meteorology and climate change), Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency.

He added, “A cyclonic circulation over Punjab and Haryana will induce pre-monsoon activity which will provide some relief from the intense heat on Monday and Tuesday.”

Here’s a look at how the weather will pan out in different parts of the country over the next few days:

1. In Rajasthan, 23 cities recorded maximum temperature above 44 degrees Celsius. The IMD has forecast severe heatwave conditions (red alert) in Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh, Bikaner and Churu districts on Sunday. An orange alert for severe heatwave condition has been issued for Sunday for Jhunjhunu, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Bundi, Kota, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Nagaur districts.
2. In Haryana, Gurugram was the hottest place, recording a high of 46.8 degrees Celsius. Chandigarh registered 43.6 degrees Celsius, three degrees above normal. In Punjab, Bathinda recorded its maximum at 46 degrees Celsius.
3. In Jammu and Kashmir, Jammu recorded its hottest day of the season so far with the mercury touching 43.5 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature in Jammu city was 6.6 degrees above the season’s average. A Met official said Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting Vaishno Devi, was the second hottest recorded place in the region with a high of 40.4 degrees Celsius.
4. As Delhi burned, mercury reached 47.2 degrees Celsius at Mungeshpur and 47 degrees Celsius at Najafgarh. Delhi’s base station Safdarjung observatory, recorded a maximum temperature of 44.2 degrees Celsius. The temperature was five notches above normal and the highest this season so far. It was 42.5 degrees Celsius on May 13.
5. Delhi recorded 46.9 degrees Celsius at Sports Complex, 46.4 degrees C at Pitampura, 45.8 degrees C at Jafarpur and 45.4 degrees C at Ridge and Ayanagar. All weather stations recorded a heatwave day, the IMD said.
6. The IMD has issued an orange (be prepared) alert for Sunday (May 15) to caution people in Delhi about a severe heatwave.
7. Heatwave conditions to prevail over isolated pockets in Jammu division, Vidarbha (Maharashtra) and Jharkhand on Sunday (May 15).
8. Heatwave to severe heatwave to prevail over isolated pockets of Punjab and Haryana-Delhi on Sunday (May 15).
9. Heatwave conditions to prevail over Uttar Pradesh in some/isolated parts on Sunday (May 15).
10. Severe heatwave conditions predicted in isolated pockets over Madhya Pradesh on Sunday (May 15) as well as May 16 and 17.
11. Severe heatwave conditions very likely over East Rajasthan on Sunday (May 15).
12. A heatwave warning for severe conditions has been issued over West Rajasthan on Sunday (May 15).
13. Orange alert issued for Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Thrissur districts till May 16. The IMD said squally weather with wind speed reaching 40 to 50 kmph is likely to prevail over Kerala coast and advised fishermen not to venture into sea.
14. A yellow alert has been issued for Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad districts on May 16. The IMD has predicted that the southwest monsoon, also known as Edavapathi, is likely to bring the first showers to Kerala by May 27, five days earlier than the normal onset date.(With PTI inputs) 

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