Delhi heatwave: Some respite from blistering heat likely on May 31, IMD to probe mercury spike to 52.9°C

In some respite to Delhiites after the 52.9°C jolt, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted relief from the sweltering heatwave conditions in the national capital from May 31. The Met Department said that Delhi is likely to witness a partly cloudy sky with very light rain/drizzle and gusty winds speeding upto 25-35 kmph. The Met Department said that the maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover at around 45°C and 30°C respectively on May 31. 

The IMD forecast comes almost a day after Union minister Kiren Rijiju said the rise in Delhi’s temperatures to 52.9°C is unlikely. He said that senior officials in the Met Department have been asked to probe the media reports and an official statement will be out soon. The weather office on Wednesday reported an alarming temperature of 52.9°C or 126.1°F in Delhi’s Mungeshpur area. 

Top points to know

1. For June 1, the weather office said that a partly cloudy sky coupled with a possibility of thunderstorm/duststorm with light rain/drizzle and gusty winds speeding upto 25-35 kmph is likely to prevail in the national capital. 
2. The IMD further said that on June 2, Delhi is expected to witness a generally cloudy sky, thunderstorm/duststorm with very light rain/drizzle and gusty winds speeding upto 25-35 kmph. 
3. In keeping with the rain forecast till June 2, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is preparing a comprehensive Monsoon Action Plan to address the issue of waterlogging in the national capital. 
4. The MCD's Monsoon Action Plan focuses on areas such as desilting of drains, identification of waterlogging hotspots and creating a control room as well as constituting teams for monitoring waterlogging incidents. 
5. The desilting of most of the drains is being carried out through outsourcing. The agency is using excavators, loader machines, pocklanes, manual labour for cleaning the silt dumped at designated landfill sites. 
6. A total of 72 pumps have been deployed on a permanent basis and 465 pumps have been deployed on a temporary basis. 
7. Commenting on the alarmingly high temperature recorded in Delhi’s Mungeshpur area, the Met Department officials said this could either be due to an “error in the sensor or the local factor(s).” 
8. Meteorologist Soma Sen Roy, however, said that the accuracy of the report is currently under review. Delhi also received light-intensity rain with gusty winds hours later. 
9. Meanwhile, the Met Department also said in its forecast that heat wave conditions are likely to abate over northwest and central India in the next 2-3 days.
10. It further mentioned that pockets of Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha are, however likely to witness isolated heat wave conditions on May 31 and June 1.