North India sizzles as IMD predicts heatwave conditions; mercury breaches 43-deg C in Bengal

New Delhi: The mercury in several parts of Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and West Bengal on Wednesday breached the 42-degree Celsius mark, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting heatwave conditions over major parts of northwest, central and eastern India in the next four to five days.

According to the IMD, parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi may see heatwave conditions on April 24-25, while similar conditions are likely to prevail over parts of Uttar Pradesh (April 23-26), Rajasthan (April 24-26), Madhya Pradesh (April 23-26), Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh (April 24-27), and Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand (April 22-23).

A heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature departure is 4.5 or 6.4 degrees Celsius from normal, or the actual temperature breaches the 45-degree Celsius mark.


Delhi reeled under scorching heat on Wednesday, with the maximum temperature touching 42.1 degrees Celsius at the Ridge, which was 3.7 degrees above normal.

Ayanagar followed at 41.4 degrees Celsius, 3 degrees above normal, while Safdarjung, the city's base station, recorded a high of 40.7 degrees Celsius, also 3 notches above normal, IMD data showed.

The conditions in the capital are set to intensify further with a heatwave forecast from April 24.

The 24-hour change in maximum temperatures ranged between 1.6 degrees and 1.9 degrees across stations.

The minimum temperature also remained above or near normal at most places in Delhi, with Palam recording the highest minimum at 24.6 degrees Celsius, 1.3 degrees above normal, followed by Ayanagar at 23.5 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees above normal.

The mercury also soared across Rajasthan on Wednesday, with several places recording temperatures above the 40-degree mark, the weather department said.

The state recorded a high of 43.7 degrees Celsius, with many places, including Pilani, Chittorgarh, Churu and Kota, sizzling at above 42 degrees Celsius.

The state capital Jaipur, too, witnessed a hot day, with the mercury settling at 40.5 degrees Celsius.

The maximum temperature settled above normal in most parts of Haryana on Wednesday, with Narnaul the hottest at 42.5 degrees Celsius, the weather office in Chandigarh said.

Sirsa recorded a high of 41.6 degrees, followed by Hisar at 41.2 degrees, Rohtak 42.2 degrees, Karnal 40.6 degrees, Ambala 40.3 degrees, while Gurugram reported a maximum temperature of 39.2 degrees Celsius.

Neighbouring Punjab also witnessed above-normal temperatures, with Bathinda reporting the highest at 41 degrees Celsius, followed by Patiala at 40.4 degrees, Ludhiana 40 degrees, and Amritsar at 39 degrees Celsius.

In Chandigarh, the common capital of Haryana and Punjab, the maximum temperature settled at 39.3 degrees Celsius.

In Himachal Pradesh, however, the weather office in Shimla has issued a yellow warning of thunderstorm and lightning accompanied by gusty winds at isolated places from April 25-28, even as dry weather prevailed in the region.

The warning has been issued for Hamirpur, Chamba, Kangra, Kullu and Mandi districts, where winds of up to 30 to 40 kmph are likely in the coming days, it said.

At 3.8 degrees Celsius, Kukumseri in Lahaul-Spiti district reported the coldest night temperature in the state on Wednesday, while Una was the hottest at 38.7 degrees Celsius.

In West Bengal, the IMD has warned of heatwave conditions in some southern districts till April 25, while thunderstorms are likely in parts of north Bengal during the week.

Panagarh in Paschim Bardhaman district recorded the maximum day temperature on Wednesday at 43.8 degrees Celsius, more than seven notches above normal, it said.

The other places that recorded significantly high day temperatures included Bankura (43.2), Asansol (42.5) and Purulia (42.3).

Kolkata recorded a high of 35.6 degrees Celsius, the Met office said.

In the coming days, the day temperatures are likely to be above normal by 3-5 degrees Celsius over the western parts of south Bengal, and by 2-3 degrees over the eastern and coastal areas, the weather office said.

The IMD also said that thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds are likely in the sub-Himalayan districts such as Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri till April 28.