Delhi likely to see heatwave conditions; minimum temperature 19.9 deg C

The national capital is likely to witness heatwave conditions on Saturday, and the maximum temperature may settle around 42 degrees Celsius, according to the weather department. The minimum temperature in Delhi this morning was recorded at 19.9 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the season, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The relative humidity at 8.30 am was recorded at 48 per cent. On Friday, a ‘severe heatwave’ scorched Delhi with the city recording a maximum temperature of 41.6 degrees Celsius, seven notches above normal and the highest so far this year. The meteorological office had issued an orange alert, warning of a ‘severe heatwave’ in the national capital on Saturday.

The IMD uses four colour codes for weather warnings — green (no action needed), yellow (watch and stay updated), orange (be prepared) and red (take action). For the plains, a ‘heatwave’ is declared when the maximum temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius and at least 4.5 notches above normal.

A ‘severe heatwave’ is declared if the departure from normal temperature is more than 6.4 notches, according to the IMD. The quality of air in Delhi remained in the ‘poor’ category as the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 260 at 8 am, the Central Pollution Control Board data showed. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe