At 44.7°C, city gets interim respite as temp falls; heat to hit back: IMD
GURUGRAM: Cloudy weather and a change in wind pattern brought Gurugram residents relief from the relentless extreme heatwave on Monday as the maximum temperature in the region dropped to 44.7 degrees Celsius (°C), a drop of 3.4 degrees from Sunday when the city recorded a maximum temperature of 48.1°C, the highest temperature in 56 years.
Officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Chandigarh said that cloudy skies and easterly winds, which are relatively cooler, helped reduce the temperature in the region by a few notches, and added that the temperature will remain relatively the same on Tuesday. They added that there was an average drop of three degrees in the maximum temperature across Haryana; however, Gurugram and Hisar remained the hottest places in the state, recording a maximum of 44.7°C on Monday.
According to IMD, The minimum temperature in the city on Monday was 28.3°C, which is four degrees higher than normal. Manmohan Singh, director of IMD Chandigarh, said that because of the influence of a western disturbance there could be light to moderate rainfall in hilly areas while thunderstorms and gusty winds were likely over Punjab and Haryana on Monday and Tuesday. A western disturbance refers to an area of “disturbed” or reduced air pressure, moving from the west to the east, carrying with it moisture associated with rainfall, snowfall and fog in northern India.
“Meanwhile, there will not be any significant change in maximum temperature for the next couple of days and heatwave conditions will abate, but after Friday, we expect the temperature to rise and severe heatwave conditions can prevail. People should continue to take precautions while stepping out, particularly during the afternoon,” he said. IMD declares a heatwave over the plains if the maximum temperature is 40°C or higher and 4.5 degrees above normal, with this criterion being satisfied over two consecutive days.
To be sure, the city had recorded a maximum temperature of 49°C on May 10, 1966, when the state was not even formed. Residents of Gurugram, meanwhile, said that since March this year they had been subjected to a harsh summer, with the temperature rising to record levels, as well as several power cuts. “The harsh weather this year is a clear pointer to climate change. The government must take action,” according to Mushtak Ahmed, a resident of Gurugram Sector 23A.
Winds, cloud cover ease heat spell across Capital
Meanwhile, a day after mercury rose to the season’s high of 45.6°C, Delhi. too, experienced slight relief on Monday with the maximum temperature dropping three-five degrees in most places as overcast skies during the day and dust-raising winds brought down the maximum temperature at Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, to 42.4°C — two notches above normal and 3.2 degrees down from a day ago.
Najafgarh was Delhi’s hottest location, with a maximum of 44.7°C, followed by the Sports Complex near Akshardham (44.4°C), while Mungeshpur, which recorded a high of 49.2°C on Sunday, saw the temperature drop to 44°C on Monday. The IMD said the impact of a western disturbance caused the drop in temperature, adding that thundery development and cloudy skies are likely on Tuesday.
IMD scientist RK Jenamani said while rain is likely to skip the Capital, the western disturbance still provided some respite from the intense heatwave conditions prevailing over the region.
“If it had rained, then the maximum would have dropped below the 40-degree mark... Similar conditions on Tuesday will see the maximum hover between 41°C and 43°C. The maximum is likely to start rising once again from Wednesday,” Jenamani said.
At 30.8°C, the minimum temperature was four notches above normal on Monday, and the relative humidity oscillated between 15% and 59% through the day.