Stay indoors as far as possible, says IMD amid rising temperatures in Delhi

The mercury is expected to shoot up to 45 degrees Celsius in Delhi on Tuesday and prompted the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a yellow alert asking residents to stay indoors as far as possible.

IMD warned of heatwave conditions at isolated places in the national capital, which recorded a maximum temperature of 44.9 degrees Celsius a day earlier.

The maximum temperature in Delhi on Monday was five notches above the normal, while the minimum of 29.7 degrees Celsius was two degrees above normal. On Tuesday, the minimum temperature is likely to be 30 degrees Celsius.

Delhi’s air quality separately was in the poor category on Tuesday morning. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the hourly Air Quality Index (AQI) was 219 at 10 am. On Monday, the average 24-hour AQI was 195, in the higher end of the moderate category.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe.