New Delhi: With temperature soaring at 47.4 degrees Celsius, Delhi’s Najafgarh on Friday registered the highest temperature so far, emerging as the hottest place in India as the severe heat wave swept swathes of Northwest India, according to the IMD. The mercury in Delhi and several places in the neighbouring states breached the 45 degrees Celsius mark resulting in the brutal heat wave conditions in the entire region.

According to the reports, the temperature around and above 45 degrees Celsius were recorded at 19 places in Rajasthan, 18 in Haryana, 8 in Delhi and 2 in Punjab. The heat wave conditions are expected to turn worse with the severe heat wave over the Northwest Indian plains predicted to continue during the next five days.

8 places in Delhi recorded temperature above 45 degree Celsius

Researchers at Climate Central, a US-based group of climate scientists, said 543 million (54.3 crore) people in India will experience at least one day of extreme heat during this period, reports news agency PTI.

"Human-caused climate change has made this intense heat much more likely. The high overnight temperatures make this event particularly alarming," said Andrew Pershing, vice-president for science at Climate Central.

On Friday, maximum temperatures surged to 47.4 degrees Celsius in Najafgarh and 47.1 in Haryana's Sirsa. According to India Meteorological Data (IMD) data till 7:30 pm, Najafgarh was the warmest place in the country. Before this, Kalaikunda in the Gangetic West Bengal region had recorded a high of 47.2 degrees Celsius on April 30.

In Delhi, the mercury settled at 46.5 degrees Celsius in Mungeshpur, 46.2 degrees in Aya Nagar, 45.9 degrees in Pusa and Jafarpur, 45.8 degrees in Pitampura and 45.1 degrees in Palam.

Apart from this, severe heatwave conditions are very likely in some parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi during May 18-21, the IMD warned. A fresh heatwave spell will commence over east and central India from Saturday.

The Met office issued a red alert for west Rajasthan, stressing the need for "extreme care for vulnerable people". It also issued an orange alert for Haryana, Punjab, east Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat and emphasised "high health concern" for vulnerable people, including infants, the elderly and those with chronic diseases.

Meanwhile, in eight stations of Delhi, the temperature crossed 45 degrees Celsius with Najafgarh recording 47.4 degrees Celsius, Aya Nagar 46.2 degrees Celsius, Palam 45.1 degrees Celsius, Mungeshpur 46.5 degrees Celsius, Pitampura 45.8 degrees Celsius, Pusa 45.9 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD data.

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

Delhi recorded its previous hottest day on May 16, with the maximum temperature reaching 42.5 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.

For Saturday, the weather office has predicted a mainly clear sky with strong surface wind at the speed of 25 to 35 kmph during the daytime.

It added that the city is expected to experience heatwave conditions at a few places with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to settle around 44 and 26 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Heatwave conditions occur when the maximum temperature is 4.5 degrees or more above normal temperature, reaching at least 45 degrees Celsius, according to the Met department.

There was no heatwave in May 2023 in Delhi, which recorded a highest temperature of 43.7 degrees Celsius in the same month last year. In 2022, the national capital saw four heatwave days, according to the IMD data.