On Sunday, Delhi recorded the highest temperature reaching 49 degrees marking Sunday the hottest day in the city. Not only Delhi, other parts of the country as well are suffering from the intense heatwave. Gururgam recorded the highest at 48 degrees, including those in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh which continue to endure the brunt of the scalding temperatures.
“We have seen western disturbances in March, April and May, but none strong enough to bring substantial rainfall. Most either led to cloudy skies or stronger winds, which can push the maximum temperature by a degree or two, but cannot provide relief,” RK Jenamani, a scientist at IMD (India Meteorological Department), said on Sunday about the searing temperatures in Delhi.
Due to the increasing intense heatwave in northern parts of India; “We have issued a red alert for Rajasthan for an intense spell of the heatwave and a yellow alert for tomorrow. Similarly, we have issued an orange alert for Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, eastern Madhya Pradesh and Delhi,” senior IMD scientist Naresh Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI on Sunday.
The Weather Office uses Four-colour codes for weather warnings, which are;
Green - no action needed,
Yellow - watch and stay updated,
Orange - be prepared and
Red - take action.
One of the causes of heat waves in the capital city is believed to be the shortfall of rain. The national capital is reported to have seen only two rainy days in the last few weeks - .3 mm of rain on April 21 and 1.4 mm of rain on May 4.