No major relief from heatwave in Delhi till June 16, says weather office

Parts of Delhi recorded a heatwave for a seventh consecutive day on Thursday, even as the India Meteorological Department said no major relief is likely till June 16.

The Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's base station, recorded a maximum temperature of 43.8 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal.

Three out of the 11 weather stations in Delhi recorded a heatwave on Thursday.

The maximum temperature settled at 46.8 degrees Celsius at Mungeshpur, making it the hottest place in the city.

Pitampura, Najafgarh and Ridge stations recorded a high of 45.3 degrees Celsius, 45.4 degrees Celsius and 45.2 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Weather experts said the maximum temperature in Delhi-NCR will come down by a few notches over the weekend but no major relief is likely till June 15.

They said moisture-laden easterly winds will bring significant relief in the region from June 16 onwards.

Senior IMD scientist R K Jenamani said there will be cloudy weather in Delhi over the weekend but there are less chances of rainfall.

The temperature will hover between 40 degrees Celsius and 43 degrees Celsius.

Weather experts have attributed the heatwave spell to the lack of strong western disturbances and incessant hot and dry westerly winds.

Mahesh Palawat, vice-president (climate change and meteorology), Skymet Weather, said the monsoon is likely to arrive in Delhi around the normal date -- June 27. There is no system in sight which could stall its progress.

A clear picture will emerge in a week or so, he said.

Last year, the IMD had forecast that the monsoon would arrive in Delhi nearly two weeks before its usual date. However, it reached the capital only on July 13, making it the most delayed in 19 years.

The monsoon had entered a "break" phase and there was virtually no progress from June 20 to July 8, Palawat recalled.

A heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius and at least 4.5 notches above normal. A severe heatwave is declared if the departure from normal temperature is more than 6.4 notches, according to the IMD.

Based on the absolute recorded temperatures, a heatwave is declared when an area logs a maximum temperature of 45 degrees Celsius. A severe heatwave is declared if the maximum temperature goes beyond 47 degrees Celsius.