Delhi is battling extreme heat conditions as temperatures soared past 43 degrees Celsius on Monday (May 25), while the city also recorded its warmest May night in nearly 14 years, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The heat has intensified discomfort for residents as both day and night temperatures remain significantly above normal levels.
At Safdarjung, the city’s base station, the maximum temperature was recorded at 43.5 degrees Celsius, while the minimum settled at 32.4 degrees Celsius. IMD data shows that this is the highest minimum temperature for May since 2012, highlighting the severity of current conditions.
Delhi Weather Today: Minimum Temp Crosses 30 degrees Celsius
Several parts of the capital also reported even higher readings. Palam recorded a maximum of 44 degrees Celsius, Ridge reached 44.3 degrees Celsius, and Lodhi Road touched 43.2 degrees Celsius. Ayanagar also recorded 44 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperatures remained unusually high across stations, with Palam at 30.5 degrees Celsius, Lodhi Road at 30 degrees Celsius, Ridge at 30.6 degrees Celsius, and Ayanagar at 32 degrees Celsius.
“Warm night conditions have been realised over Safdarjung, Lodi Road and Ayanagar,” an IMD official said.
A warm night is declared when the maximum temperature remains 40 degrees Celsius or more and the minimum temperature departure is between 4.5 degrees Celsius and 6.4 degrees Celsius above normal, according to the IMD.
Delhi Heatwave Forecast: Yellow Alert Issued, Rain Relief Soon
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for heatwave conditions and forecast that Tuesday (may 26) may see a maximum temperature of around 44 degrees Celsius and a minimum of around 30 degrees Celsius.
“The weather disturbance will move away from the region from today, and weather conditions are expected to clear up from tomorrow. As a result, maximum temperatures are likely to rise while minimum temperatures may fall,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet Weather.
“From tomorrow till May 28, we can expect high daytime temperatures. Thereafter, another western disturbance over central Pakistan and adjoining Punjab and Haryana may trigger pre-monsoon rainfall activity again,” he added.
Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 254 at 4 pm on Monday, placing it in the ‘poor’ category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
“There is a lot of humidity and haze in the air, because of which pollutants could have gotten trapped. This could also be a reason for the high pollution levels. These conditions are expected to reduce from tomorrow onwards, leading to lower minimum temperatures and higher maximum temperatures during the daytime,” he said.