At 47.4°C, Delhi's Najafgarh hottest place in country, heatwave in other states

Delhi on Friday recorded the hottest day of the year so far, with the mercury soaring to 47.4 degrees Celsius in the Najafgarh area. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Najafgarh was the hottest place in the country on Friday.

The maximum temperature at the Safdarjung weather station, which provides a marker for the city, recorded the mercury soaring over three notches above the normal at 43.6 degrees Celsius.

As many as eight stations in Delhi breached the 45 degrees Celsius mark, leaving the residents sweltering.

The weather department issued an orange alert in the national capital, saying that heatwave conditions were expected in some parts in the next two days.

Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions were also likely in many pockets of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi and a few pockets of Rajasthan.

Similar weather conditions were likely in isolated pockets of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Saurashtra, and Kutch on May 20.

WEATHER CONDITIONS IN OTHER PARTS OF COUNTRY

According to the weather department, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds were expected in parts of Andhra Pradesh for four days from May 17.

Parts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, South Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema were also expected to receive rainfall, with gusty winds up to speeds of 50 km per hour (kmph).

Further, the weather department said the southwest monsoon will likely advance into the South Andaman Sea, parts of the southeast Bay of Bengal and the Nicobar Islands around May 19.

CHANDIGARH, HARYANA UNDER HEATWAVE

The maximum temperature in Chandigarh on Friday reached 44.5 degrees Celsius as hot weather conditions continued unabated in Haryana and Punjab, the weather office said on Friday.

The common capital of the two states was hotter by six notches above the season's normal limits, it said.

Rohtak and Sirsa in Haryana recorded identical maximums of 45.8 degrees Celsius, while heatwave also swept Hisar, Karnal and Ambala, which recorded temperatures of 45.5, 43.4 and 43.4 degrees Celsius, respectively, it said.

Bhiwani recorded a maximum temperature of 43.2 degrees Celsius, the MeT department said.

In Punjab, the maximum temperature in Amritsar reached 44.3 degrees Celsius, while in Faridkot it was 43 degrees Celsius, it said.

According to the weather office, the mercury settled at 44.4 degrees Celsius in Patiala and Pathankot, and 43.8 degrees Celsius in Ludhiana.

Gurdaspur recorded a high of 43 degrees Celsius while Mohali registered a maximum of 43.2 degrees Celsius, it said.

RAJASTHAN's BARMER HOTTEST SO FAR

The scorching heat continued in Rajasthan, where the highest temperature was recorded in Barmer at 46.5 degrees Celsius on Friday.

The weather centre said this phase would continue for another week. During this period, warnings of heat waves have been issued in many areas.

According to the Met Centre Jaipur, the maximum temperature on Friday was 46.5 degrees in Barmer, 46.4 degrees in Dholpur, 46.3 degrees in Fatehpur (Sikar), 46 degrees in Phalodi, 45.9 degrees in Pilani (Jhunjhunu), 45.8 degrees in Banasthali (Tonk) and Jaisalmer, 45.7 degrees in Churu, and 45.5 in Jodhpur and Karauli.

The day temperature at most places in the state was two to four degrees above normal.