Heatwave likely in North West, Central India till June 8, says weather department

The weather department on Saturday issued a yellow alert for a heatwave in several parts of North West and Central India till June 8. A yellow alert is issued to cautions authorities about severely bad weather.

On June 4 and 5, heatwave conditions are likely to prevail in Rajasthan, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, South Punjab and the border areas of South Haryana and Delhi.

Between June 4 and June 6, Vidarbha region of Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, interior Odisha and Chhattisgarh will likely experience a heatwave. Meanwhile, between June 4 and June 8, South Uttar Pradesh and North Madhya Pradesh are expected to witness the heatwave.

For the plains, a heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature goes up to 40 degrees Celsius or more and is at least 4.5 degrees above normal. A severe heatwave is declared if the maximum temperature crosses the 47-degree Celsius mark.

On Saturday, the weather department said that over the next two or three days, there will be a rise in maximum temperatures by about 2 degrees Celsius in most parts of North West and Central India.

The Safdarjung Observatory in Delhi may record a maximum temperature of 44 degrees Celsius on Saturday, PTI reported. The minimum temperature in the city was 28.7 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department.

On Friday, the Safdarjung Observatory had recorded a maximum temperature of 42.9 degrees Celsius.

Delhi, as well as parts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been experiencing record high temperatures over the past three months. In the last week of April, the city saw temperatures rise up to 46 degrees Celsius due to a heatwave.

The average maximum temperature in April for northwest and Central India was the highest in 122 years. The country had also witnessed the hottest March in 122 years since the India Meteorological Department started maintaining records.