Longest heat spell for city in 13 yrs: IMD

NEW DELHI: The Safdarjung observatory — representative of the Capital’s weather — has recorded 14 heatwave days since March 1, making it the highest count for such days in at least 13 years, India Meteorological Department (IMD) data available from 2011 onwards shows.

Till this year, Delhi clocked the most heatwave days in 2022, when 13 such days were recorded over March, April, May and June, officials said.

IMD classifies it as a “heatwave” when the maximum temperature is over 40°C while also being 4.5 degrees or more above normal. However, 2023 did not record a single heatwave day in these four months, a departure from 2022, the data shows.

Meanwhile, the years 2017 and 2014 recorded seven each in the corresponding period.

Temperatures were in control in March, April

This year, Delhi reported pleasant weather conditions in March and April, and the temperatures in these months were kept under check by frequent western disturbances. However, the temperatures rose in May, giving way to a spike in the number of heatwave days.

In 2022, heatwave days began as early as April, when nine such days were reported. This was followed by four such days in May and none in June, as premonsoon rain began to take over.

In 2017, six of the seven heatwave days were in April, marking an early start to torrid days.

In 2014, Delhi recorded its latest onset in terms of heatwaves, with all seven days occurring in June.

“This year, we recorded no heatwaves in March or April. Delhi managed below-normal temperatures on most days in these two months due to cloud cover and strong winds, as we recorded frequent western disturbances in those months. There was a change in the weather pattern by mid-may when western disturbances weakened in the region and clear skies were accompanied by dry westerly winds,” said an IMD official, adding that the absence of rain throughout summer has also been a factor behind such high temperatures.

HT on June 8 reported that 2024 was Delhi’s driest start to the year since 2018, with only 44.7mm of rain recorded at Safdarjung in the first five months of this year. This is only 42% of the long-period average of 104.8mm, which Delhi’s base observatory receives in the first five months of the year.

The last time the national capital received less rainfall at the start of the year was 43.5mm in 2018.