Brutal heatwave grips Delhi, Rajasthan, other states; IMD issues ‘red’ alert | 10 hottest Indian cities

The IMD has issued a ‘red’ alert of severe heatwave conditions for Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh on May 29 .The scorching heatwave conditions continue to prevail in several parts of the country, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a ‘red’ alert for Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday. The IMD has predicted a maximum temperature of 46 degrees in Delhi.“Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are very likely in many or most parts of Rajasthan; in some or many parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi; in isolated parts of West Uttar Pradesh, West Madhya Pradesh during May 27th-29th and gradual reduction thereafter,” the IMD said in its bulletin.

According to the weather department, heat wave conditions are very likely in isolated pockets of east Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, and Jammu division till May 29 and in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh, East Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh till May 30.

Earlier on Tuesday, Rajasthan's Churu recorded the highest temperature in the country at 50.5 degrees Celsius.

Top 10 warmest cities in India on Tuesday:

Churu, Rajasthan: 50.5°CSirsa, Haryana: 50.3°C

Mungeshpur, Delhi: 49.9°C

Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh: 49.0°C

Prithvipur (Niwari), Madhya Pradesh: 48.5°C

Daltonganj, Jharkhand: 47.5°C

Bhatinda, Punjab: 47.2°C

Dehri, Bihar: 47.0°C

Mungeli, Chattisgarh: 47.0°C

Boudh, Odisha: 45.9°C

According to IMD director-general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the heatwave conditions over northwest and central India are due to the absence of western disturbances. However, he said that a fresh western disturbance was expected over parts of northwest India this week, following which it may get respite from the heatwave conditions after May 30.

IMD's rainfall prediction

The IMD has also issued a ‘red’ alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in the northeastern states on Wednesday, May 29, in view of the Cyclone ‘Remal’. According to the weather department, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura will likely receive heavy to very heavy rainfall of around 115.5 to 204.4 mm on May 29. Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh are likely to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall from May 29 to June 1.

Meanwhile, isolated heavy rainfall is very likely over Kerala, Mahe, Andaman, and Nicobar Islands until May 31 and over Lakshadweep on May 29.

The IMD added that isolated to scattered light rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds is very likely over Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, Muzzaffarabad, and Himachal Pradesh till May 31