Raj reels under heat wave, 13 dists record above 47 degrees
Rajasthan is reeling under a severe heat wave as nearly all its districts have registered a temperature above 45 degrees in the last 24 hours.
As many as 13 of the 33 districts witnessed a temperature of 47 degrees and above, leaving the people confined to their houses to avoid the scorching sun.
Sri Ganganagar registered the highest temperature of 48.1 degrees in the state while Karauli and Baran 47.8 degrees, making them the three hottest places in the state.
Pilani registered 47.7 degrees while Jaisalmer had 47.5 degrees, Bikaner 47.4 degrees, Dholpur 47.6 degrees, Bundi 47 degrees and Kota 47.2 degrees. The IMD has predicted winds around Jaipur after 24 hours, which will bring some respite as the temperature will come down by two to three degrees celsius.
47 deg Celsius in parts of Delhi
A tormenting heatwave turned Delhi into a hot cauldron on Saturday, pushing the mercury to 47.2 degrees Celsius at Mungeshpur and 47 degrees Celsius at Najafgarh, both at least seven notches above the normal.
The Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's base station, recorded a maximum temperature of 44.2 degrees Celsius, which was five notches above the normal and the highest this season so far. It was 42.5 degrees Celsius on Friday.
Delhi saw the mercury rise to 46.9 degrees Celsius at Sports Complex, 46.4 degrees Celsius at Pitampura, 45.8 degrees Celsius at Jafarpur and 45.4 degrees Celsius at Ridge and Ayanagar.
All the weather stations in the capital recorded a heatwave day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Weather forecasters predicted the heatwave spell to worsen on Sunday. An 'orange' alert has been issued for Sunday to caution people about a severe heatwave.
The IMD uses four colour codes for weather warnings - green (no action needed), yellow (watch and stay updated), orange (be prepared) and red (take action).
This is the fifth heatwave in the capital this summer.
With scanty rains owing to feeble western disturbances, Delhi had recorded its second hottest April this year since 1951 with a monthly average maximum temperature of 40.2 degrees Celsius.
A heatwave at the end of that month had sent the mercury soaring to 46 and 47 degrees Celsius in several parts of the city.
"Hot and dry westerly winds sweeping the DelhiNCR region will push the mercury further up. It is likely to hit the 45-degree mark at Safdarjung on Sunday," said Mahesh Palawat, Vice President (Meteorology and Climate Change), Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency.
"A cyclonic circulation over Punjab and Haryana will induce pre-monsoon activity which will provide some relief from the intense heat on Monday and Tuesday," he said.
The IMD said a thunderstorm or a dust storm is likely in the national capital on Monday.
Delhi received a minuscule 0.3 mm of rainfall in April against a monthly average of 12.2 mm. March saw no rainfall against a normal of 15.9 mm. The IMD had predicted above-normal temperatures in May.