Weather Update: IMD Predicts Marginal Heat Wave Conditions For Next Two Days In Delhi-NCR

New Delhi: As the heat is mounting up in the national capital, an expert from India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday said that there will be marginal heatwave conditions for the next two days in Delhi-NCR.Naresh Kumar, the IMD expert, said, "For now there is a poor possibility of heatwave conditions in Delhi-NCR, but still the temperature will be 3-4 degrees Celsius above normal.

"He said that currently, the mercury has also slightly increased in the North West, including the capital."And for this, we can have marginal heat wave conditions for two days," he said. "Marginal heat wave means the temperature can go 4.5-5 degrees Celsius above normal," he added.

However, the Met expert forecasted that a fresh western disturbance will prompt a dip in the mercury in the plains in the coming days. "There is a western disturbance, which has its effect on the western Himalayan region and after two days, the plains will also sense its effect too," he said, adding that the mercury will then dip slightly.

"We expect that 2-4 degrees Celsius and above temperatures will fall in North West India," he added. Talking about the other parts of the country, he said, "In east India, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, the heat wave conditions are prevailing for four-five days.

"We have also issued an orange alert for West Bengal," Kumar said. He went on to add that some heat wave conditions are also expected to be in the isolated pockets of Punjab and Haryana. Earlier on Thursday, as per the Met Office, the temperature hit 40 degrees Celsius in some parts of Delhi.

The city saw nine heatwave days in April last year, including four in the first 10 days, which was the maximum in the month since 2010. It had recorded a high of 43.5 degrees Celsius on April 28 and April 29 last year. This was the highest maximum temperature on an April day in Delhi in 12 years.

Delhi logged six heatwave spells in the summer season last year, the deadliest being in mid-May when the maximum temperature soared to 49 degrees Celsius at some places. India logged its hottest February in 2023 since record-keeping began in 1901, according to the IMD.

However, above-normal rainfall (37.6 mm against a normal of 29.9 mm) due to seven western disturbances, including five strong ones, kept temperatures in check in March. March 2022 was the warmest ever and the third driest in 121 years. The year also saw the country's third-warmest April since 1901.

(With agency inputs)