Delhi Weather Forecast: City Records Season’s First Heatwave, IMD Extends Yellow Alert for Next 2 Days
New Delhi, April 7: Delhi recorded its first heatwave of the season on Monday with the maximum temperature touching 40.2 degrees Celsius, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to extend a yellow alert in place in the capital for the next two days. The other monitoring stations in the city, including Ridge and Ayanagar, also recorded maximum temperatures above the 40-degree mark at 41 degrees Celsius. The Palam and Lodhi Road stations recorded a high of around 39 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.
The capital is currently under a yellow alert, which will remain in place for the next two days, a weather department official said. In IMD’s colour code, a yellow alert stands for “Be Aware” and advises people to avoid heat exposure, wear lightweight, light-coloured, loose cotton clothes, and cover their heads with a cloth, hat or umbrella. “Three stations — Safdarjung, Ridge and Ayanagar — met the heatwave criteria today, marking the first day of heatwave conditions this season. Weather Forecast Today, April 07: Check Weather Updates, Rain Predictions for Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Shimla and Kolkata.
“These conditions are likely to continue until April 9. From April 10 onwards, a drop in temperature is expected over Northwest India, including Delhi,” the IMD said in a statement. According to IMD data, the maximum temperature in Delhi usually touches 40 degrees Celsius during the second half of April. However, this year, the 40-degree mark has been crossed in the first half of the month — similar to what was observed in 2022. IMD data showed that in 2022, the city recorded its first heatwave on April 8 when the maximum temperature touched 41.6 degrees Celsius.
In contrast, no heatwave was recorded in the month of April in 2023 and 2024, though the maximum temperature did touch the 40-degree mark on April 15 in 2023 and on April 26 in 2024, according to the IMD. The IMD declares heatwave when the maximum temperature reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains or 30 degrees Celsius in the hilly regions, or when the departure from normal is between 4.5 degrees Celsius and 6.4 degrees celsius.
According to Mahesh Palawat from private forecaster Skymet Weather Services, a change in weather is likely after April 10 when the sky will turn cloudy and the temperature will drop due to a western disturbance over North India. The humidity level in the capital on Monday fluctuated between 45 per cent and 25 per cent during the day, the IMD said. For Tuesday, the weather office has forecast clear sky with heatwave conditions. The maximum temperature is expected to be around 41 degrees Celsius, and the minimum around 22 degrees Celsius. Weather Forecast Today, April 06: Check Weather Updates, Rain Predictions for Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Shimla and Kolkata.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the capital continued in the ‘poor’ category on Monday with a reading of 261 at 4 pm, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.
