‘Red alert’ in Delhi after temperature rises to 47°C as heatwave grips northern India

Sign up for Independent Climate’s email to get the latest advice on saving the planet

Get our free climate email

India’s capital Delhi was issued a red alert on Sunday as a severe heatwave hit parts of northern India over the weekend.

For the second day in a row, parts of Delhi witnessed a heatwave on Sunday, with the maximum temperature touching 46.8°C in the north-west of the national capital region.

Red warnings are issued when unexpected weather impacts lead to a “very high likelihood of heat illness or stroke” as well as “serious health problems for vulnerable people,” authorities said.

“Severe heat waves are very likely in some parts of western Rajasthan from May 17 to 20 and in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi from May 18 to 20,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday.

The IMD has issued orange warnings for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, saying the heat wave will continue and residents must be “prepared” for possible symptoms of illness if exposed to the heat for extended periods.

“Severe heatwaves” are also expected in northern states such as Haryana and Punjab.

Rajasthan recorded a maximum temperature of 46°C on Thursday as April heatwave days in the eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha were the highest in 15 and nine years, respectively, according to IMD data. Parts of New Delhi recorded temperatures as high as 47.1°C on Friday.

The heatwave coincides with India’s six-week national elections, which is worrying experts as citizens wait in long lines to cast their votes.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his main challenger from the opposition Congress Party, Rahul Gandhi, are expected to hold rallies in New Delhi on Saturday evening.

The extreme heat has been blamed at least in part for low voter turnout in the second phase of national elections, which saw voting in 13 states and union territories last week. Voter turnout was 63 percent, a further decline from the 66 percent turnout in the first phase on April 19.

Two people died of suspected heat stroke in April in the southern state of Kerala, where temperatures rose to 41.9°C, almost 5.5°C above normal.

Since early April, dozens of countries in Asia, from India to the Philippines, have experienced record temperatures, prompting school closures and triggering urgent health warnings across the region.

A study conducted by scientists at World Weather Attribution (WWA) has found that this year’s heat wave would have been “virtually impossible” in the Philippines and “virtually impossible” in South and West Asia without the climate crisis caused by the burning of oil, coal, etc would be gas.

The conditions for a heat wave are met in India when the maximum temperature at a weather station reaches 40 °C in the plains, 37 °C in coastal areas and 30 °C in hilly regions, or the deviation from normal is at least 4.5 °C. A severe heat wave is declared when the temperature is at least 6.4 degrees above normal.

April to June are typically the hottest months in most parts of India, but the country has experienced more intense temperatures over the past decade, also leading to severe water shortages.

The Met Department has warned that India could witness more heatwave days than normal between April and June this year.