New Delhi: The city continued to experience intense heat on Wednesday, with isolated heatwave conditions recorded in several parts. The mercury soared to 46.5 degrees Celsius in North Delhi's Ridge area, 46.3 degrees Celsius in northwest Delhi's Mungeshpur, and 44.5 degrees Celsius — 4.1 notches above normal — at Safdarjung, the city's base station.
No respite is in sight. A heatwave warning has been extended until May 26, with an orange alert in place for the same period. Isolated to citywide heatwave conditions are likely to persist, with maximum temperatures expected to range between 43°C and 47°C, according to meteorological officials.
On Tuesday, Safdarjung recorded a season-high maximum of 45.1°C.
For heatwave conditions to be declared in the plains, the maximum temperature must either exceed 45°C or be above 40°C with a departure of more than 4.5 notches above normal. A severe heatwave is declared when the departure is at least 6.5°C above normal.
On Wednesday, Delhi's four weather stations — Mungeshpur, Lodhi Road, Ayanagar, and Ridge — met these heatwave criteria. A heatwave is declared for the entire city when these conditions are also met at Safdarjung.
"With clear skies and dry westerly winds persisting, Delhi-NCR continued to record high temperatures, similar to large parts of northwest and central India. No significant change in weather conditions is likely until at least the weekend, meaning heatwave conditions should persist in parts of the city," an IMD official said.
In 2025, Delhi did not experience any heatwave in May due to strong western disturbances and cumulative rainfall of 185.92 mm. However, 2024 witnessed six consecutive heatwave days — from May 26 to 31 — with the highest temperature reaching 46.8°C. During that period, locations like Narela and Mungeshpur crossed 49°C.
Weather analysts noted that although a western disturbance is likely to impact northwest India from the evening of May 23, possibly bringing some rain to Punjab and Haryana, Delhi is likely to continue experiencing isolated heatwave conditions. "The thundery development will possibly impact parts of Delhi as well. However, temperatures will continue hovering close to 46°C to 47°C for two to three days thereafter," said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president at Skymet.
The thermal stress was felt early Wednesday as well, with Delhi's minimum temperature recorded at 28.3°C — almost two notches above normal — compared to 28.2°C a day earlier. It is expected to remain between 27°C and 29°C until the weekend.
Meanwhile, the city's air quality slipped back to the 'moderate' range on Wednesday. The air quality index (AQI), on a scale of 0 to 500, stood at 168, down from 208 (poor) on Tuesday, when the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked stage-1 measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
