Blistering heat in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab; Gurugram hottest at 45.6 degree

Blistering heatwave conditions swept through Delhi, Haryana and Punjab on Thursday, with Gurugram recording a high of 45.6 degrees Celsius. Gurugram was the hottest place in Haryana, while common capital Chandigarh recorded a maximum temperature of 42.2 degrees Celsius.

The national capital Delhi also recording a maximum temperature of 43.5 degrees Celsius, the highest in April in 12 years. It had recorded a maximum temperature of 43.7 degrees Celsius on April 18, 2010. The all-time high temperature for the month was 45.6 degrees Celsius recorded on April 29, 1941.

In Haryana, Hisar recorded a high of 44.5 degrees Celsius, Bhiwani 43.6 degrees Celsius, Narnaul 44.4 degrees Celsius, Rohtak 44 degrees Celsius, Ambala 42.8 degrees Celsius and Karnal 42.7 degrees Celsius, a meteorological department report showed.


In Punjab, Patiala and Bathinda recorded highs of 43.6 degrees Celsius each, Ludhiana 43.2 degrees Celsius, and Amritsar and Jalandhar 43 degrees Celsius each, the report added.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an "orange" alert for several north Indian cities, warning the residents of a severe heatwave on Friday.

The IMD uses four colour codes for weather warnings -- "green" (no action needed), "yellow" (watch and stay updated), "orange" (be prepared) and "red" (take action).

Northwest India has been recording higher-than-normal temperatures since the last week of March, with weather experts attributing it to the absence of periodic light rainfall and thundershowers, which typify this time of the year, due to the lack of active western disturbances.