Heatwave updates: North India nears 48 degrees, no relief this week | 10 hottest cities

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a ‘red alert’ for Delhi and parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and West Uttar Pradesh, predicting continued heatwave to severe heatwave conditions over the next five days.

Maximum daytime temperatures in many districts of these states may exceed 47 degrees Celsius.

On Tuesday, severe heatwave conditions were observed in many parts of northwest India, in parts of Rajasthan, as well as isolated pockets of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, the Met department said. Additionally, warm night conditions were observed in some parts of Rajasthan, it said.

The highest maximum temperature recorded on Tuesday was in Sirsa, Haryana, at 47.8°C, followed by 47.4°C in Najafgarh, Delhi.

Maximum temperatures in India on Tuesday

• Sirsa (Haryana): 47.8°C

• Najafgarh (Delhi): 47.4°C

• Pilani (Rajasthan): 47.2°C

• Bhatinda Airport) (Punjab): 46.6°C

• Agra Taj (Uttar Pradesh): 46.6°C

• Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh): 45.6°C

• Surendranagar (Gujarat): 45.4°C

• Akola (Maharashtra): 44.0°C

• Durg (Chhattisgarh): 43.6°C

• Una (Himachal Pradesh): 42.4°C

Heatwave alert on May 22

Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are likely to persist in the plains of northwest India, with heatwave conditions expected in north Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat over the next 5 days.

Many parts of central India are expected to experience a gradual rise in maximum temperatures of about 2-3 degrees in the next five days. In the next 24 hours, Northwest India and Maharashtra are expected to experience no significant change in maximum temperatures, followed by a gradual rise of 2-3°C.

Delhi weather forecast today

The sky will be mainly clear in Delhi on Wednesday. Heatwave conditions are expected in a few places, IMD warned. Strong surface winds, with speeds of 20-30 km/h and occasional gusts, will occur during the day, it said.

Monsoon 2024 update

According to IMD, the conditions are favourable for the Southwest Monsoon to advance further over parts of the Southeast Arabian Sea, additional areas of the Maldives, the Comorin area, the South Bay of Bengal, and more regions of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and the Andaman Sea in the next two days.

Isolated heavy rainfall is expected over Coastal and South Interior Karnataka from May 22 to 23; over Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal on May 24; and over Kerala on May 25.

Additionally, isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal from May 22 to 23; over Kerala and Mahe on May 24. There will also be isolated extremely heavy rainfall over Kerala on May 22 and 23.