New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday (July 7, 2021) said that the national capital along with other parts of north India continues to reel under the ongoing heatwave with the maximum temperature reaching 42.6 degrees Celsius, which is six degrees above normal for this time of the year. Delhi on Wednesday recorded the third heatwave day in the month of July.
The minimum temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, settled at 29.5 degrees Celsius. Earlier, the Capital had reeled under a heatwave on July 1 (43.1 degrees Celsius) and July 2 (41.3 degrees Celsius) too.
The weather department also added that isolated parts of north India, including Delhi, are likely to witness similar heatwave conditions on Thursday as well. The highest temperature in north India was recorded in Rajasthan’s Sriganganagar which witnessed 45.5 degrees Celsius yesterday.
According to IMD, a heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is more than 40 degrees Celsius and at least 4.5 notches above normal, while a severe heatwave is declared if the departure from the normal temperature is more than 6.5 degrees Celsius.
Earlier, IMD had revealed that the Southwest Monsoon will reach Delhi around July 10 this year, making it the most delayed in the last 15 years. "The monsoon is likely to advance over remaining parts of west Uttar Pradesh, some more parts of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan and Delhi around July 10," the IMD said in a statement.
Normally, the monsoon reaches Delhi by June 27 and covers the entire country by July 8. Last year, the wind system had reached Delhi on June 25 and covered the country by June 29.
The IMD has also issued a heatwave warning on Wednesday in the districts of Jaipur, Bharatpur and Bikaner divisions in the next 48 hours.
The Met department has predicted that the temperatures are expected to drop by three-four notches due to monsoon from July 10. On July 10-11, heavy rain in the districts of Udaipur, Kota divisions is likely. Monsoon will touch Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh, Bikaner and Churu districts of Bikaner division between July 11 and 13.
During July 11 to 15, there is a possibility of rain at most places. Monsoon is also likely to arrive in the districts of the Jodhpur division during July 12-13, according to the MeT department.
Hot weather conditions continued to prevail in Haryana and Punjab on Wednesday, with Gurugram sizzling at 44.5 degrees Celsius. Gurugram, which recorded a maximum temperature that was seven notches above normal, was the hottest place in Haryana.
Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar undertook an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas in Darbhanga, Madhubani and Samastipur districts. "The state is witnessing flood due to the unprecedented heavy downpour before the scheduled time of monsoon," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
