Large areas of northern and central India faced blazing hot temperatures on Tuesday. The mercury crossed a scorching 50 degrees Celsius in Churu (Rajasthan) and Sirsa (Haryana). Delhi experienced temperatures 9 degrees above normal.
At least 3 Delhi weather stations recorded maximum temps over 49°C:
- Mungeshpur and Narela hit 49.9°C
- Najafgarh reached 49.8°C
This was Delhi’s highest maximum this season, though Mungeshpur and Narela only have data since 2022.
Relief from the intense heat may come after May 30th. A western disturbance system is expected on Thursday, potentially bringing isolated rainfall this weekend.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) cited the lack of western disturbances in late May as the cause of the heatwave in northwest and central India.
10 stations saw their highest-ever May maximums:
- Agra, Dehri, Hamirpur, Jhansi, Narnaul, Ayanagar, New Delhi Ridge, Rewa, Rohtak, Varanasi
However, parts of south Rajasthan like Barmer and Jodhpur saw a 2-4°C drop due to moist Arabian Sea winds – signaling the heatwave’s decline.
Humidity from the Bay of Bengal from May 30th should further reduce temps in Uttar Pradesh.
The hottest places were:
- Churu (50.5°C)
- Sirsa (50.3°C)
- Mungeshpur, Narela (49.9°C)
- Najafgarh (49.8°C)
Warm nights are likely in UP, MP, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi in the coming days.
The intense heat prompted Haryana to start summer vacations early on Tuesday. It is straining power grids and causing water shortages across India.
Last week, the live storage in 150 major Indian reservoirs was just 24%. Maharashtra’s Jayakwadi dam had only 5.19% capacity after high evaporation losses.
India’s power demand hit 239.96 GW – the season’s highest so far due to AC/cooler use. Experts predict it could surpass last September’s all-time peak of 243.27 GW.
Severe heatwaves have affected large parts of India for 3 consecutive years, impacting health, water, agriculture, power and the economy.