Delhi boils at 43.4°C on season’s hottest day; ‘Real Feel’ soars to 49°C | Latest News Delhi

The capital sizzled under a relentless sun on Monday, recording its hottest day of the season. Safdarjung — the city’s base station — logged a scorching 43.4°C, three degrees above normal, while Ayanagar breached the heatwave threshold at 45.3°C, triggering widespread discomfort across the city. The previous season-high was 42.3°C, recorded on May 16.

People at the Noida Sector 38 Water Park on Monday. (Sunil Ghosh/HT photo)

According to the IMD, a heatwave is declared when temperatures exceed 40°C with a departure of at least 4.5°C from normal, or cross 45°C — as Ayanagar did on Monday.

The swelter wasn’t just numerical. Delhi’s ‘real feel’ temperature — factoring in humidity — soared to 49°C by mid-afternoon, trapping residents in stifling concrete pockets. Humidity ranged from 25% to 70%, ensuring even shaded areas offered little relief.

Even slight respite is only expected from Thursday night, when light rain and winds up to 60 km/h could sweep across the city, potentially shaving 4–5°C off daytime highs by Friday, the IMD said.

“With temperatures exceeding 44.9°C in Hisar, Sirsa, Rohtak, and Ayanagar, heatwave conditions were confirmed over the Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi subdivision — the second straight day of such conditions,” said IMD scientist Krishna Mishra.

Discomfort spiked further with wet-bulb temperatures — a key heat stress marker — crossing 30°C in parts of the city. Palam hit 30.3°C, a level at which the human body struggles to cool itself, significantly raising the risk of heatstroke.

An orange alert is in place for Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to remain between 43°C and 45°C. Heatwave conditions are expected to persist in isolated pockets. A yellow alert has been issued for Friday, predicting thunderstorms and gusty winds — likely signs of the advancing southwest monsoon, which is currently in a brief lull but expected to resume progress around June 12.

The monsoon’s early onset this year — arriving in Kerala on May 24 and in Maharashtra two days later — raises hopes of an earlier-than-usual arrival in Delhi, though the IMD hasn’t issued a forecast yet. The normal onset date for the city is June 27.

This summer has otherwise been relatively mild, with heavy rainfall in May keeping temperatures in check. The highest maximum until now was 42.3°C on May 16. May ended with 184.6 mm of rain — the highest for the month since records began in 1901. No heatwave days were recorded in May, compared to six last year. April this year, however, saw three heatwave days — none were reported last April.

Last year, Safdarjung’s highest maximum was 46.8°C on May 29, and some areas saw temperatures cross 49°C during a six-day heatwave between May 26 and 31.

But June’s sudden spike has brought summer’s full force back, reviving public anxieties over heat preparedness and infrastructure gaps.

“Delhi has seen a 6–9% rise in relative humidity over the past decade,” said Vishwas Chitale, Senior Programme Lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). “Combined with a rise in very warm nights — six more per summer between 2012–2022 compared to 1982–2011 — this has sharply increased heat risk for vulnerable populations. When heat is paired with humidity, perceived temperatures can be 3 to 5°C higher than dry heat,” he added.

While daytime highs dominate headlines, it’s the unrelenting night heat — worsened by urban heat retention and poor ventilation — that silently wears residents down, particularly in low-income households.

The punishing weather also worsened Delhi’s air. By 4pm on Monday, the average air quality index (AQI) stood at 235 (poor), with PM10 as the lead pollutant — pointing to dust upliftment and intrusion. Sunday’s AQI was 198 (moderate), with both PM10 and ozone as dominant pollutants.

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