Delhi boils at record 52.3°Celsius

Delhi recorded its highest-ever temperature of 52.3°C on Wednesday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the automatic weather station in Mungeshpur recorded this temperature around 2:30 PM. This scorching figure came just a day after Mungeshpur and North Delhi’s Narela reached 49.9°C, followed closely by Southwest Delhi’s Najafgarh at 49.8°C.

Other regions experiencing extreme temperatures include Phalodi in Rajasthan, which hit 51°C, and another area in Rajasthan recorded 50.8°C. Sirsa in Haryana also reported a blistering 50.3°C.

Delhi has recently been engulfed in an unprecedented heatwave, with temperatures soaring to a blistering 49.9°C, breaking previous records as relentless westerly winds blow in from Rajasthan. The city is now under a red alert, with no significant relief expected in the next two days.

On Tuesday, cloudless skies and scorching winds pushed temperatures to new extremes. Mungeshpur and Narela hit a sweltering 49.9°C, while Najafgarh recorded 49.8°C. At Safdarjung, Delhi's primary weather station, the mercury rose to 45.8°C, marking the highest temperature of the year and five degrees above the seasonal average. The last time Safdarjung saw a higher maximum was in 2020, with a peak of 46°C.

“Heat wave to severe heat wave conditions prevailed over most parts of Rajasthan; in many parts of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, in some parts of Madhya Pradesh; in isolated pockets of Uttar Pradesh. Heat wave conditions prevailed in isolated pockets of Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Vidarbha. Heat wave conditions have been prevailing over Gujarat since 15th; Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, Rajasthan since 17th and over West Madhya Pradesh & West Uttar Pradesh since 18th May, 2024,” IMD states.

On Tuesday, temperatures in central Delhi tantalisingly approached the 50-degree threshold, marking the highest readings ever documented by the automated weather stations in these areas since data collection commenced in 2022.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for intense heatwave conditions on Wednesday, followed by an orange alert on Thursday, indicating a minor decrease in temperatures. There is a possibility of some relief on Friday and Saturday, with predictions of light rain.

In another location, Churu in Rajasthan claimed the title of India's hottest spot on Tuesday, hitting a blistering 50.5°C, approaching its previous record of 50.8°C. The national highest temperature on record remains at 51°C, recorded in Phalodi, Rajasthan, back in 2016.