 "heat waves, heat wave, summer, hot, heat")
This year, Delhi faced its most intense peak summer months of May and June in at least 74 years. The Safdarjung weather station, the benchmark for Delhi's climate data since 1951, recorded its highest-ever maximum temperatures for both June and the combined May-June period, reported The Times of India.
June’s average maximum temperature soared to 41.95 degree Celsius, eclipsing the previous record of 41.9 degree Celsius set in 2012. Remarkably, this year marked only the eighth instance since 1951 that June's mean maximum temperature exceeded 41 degree Celsius. Highlighting the impact of global warming, three of the four highest June temperatures have occurred in the past 13 years.
May’s scorching spell
May 2024 ranked as the seventh hottest May since 1951, with an average maximum temperature of 41.4 degree Celsius. The prolonged and intense heatwave made this summer particularly unbearable, with the average maximum temperature for May and June combined reaching 41.7 degree Celsius, surpassing the previous high of 41.2 degree Celsius in 2012. This period witnessed only the fourth occurrence in 74 years of the mean maximum temperature hitting or exceeding 41 degree Celsius, the other years being 1995 and 2010.
This summer also saw an unprecedented 40-day streak of daily maximum temperatures above 40 degree Celsius. Safdarjung recorded nine heatwave days in June and five in May, numbers that have not been surpassed in recent history.
April-June among hottest on record
The extreme heat in the last two months contributed to making the entire summer season (April-May-June) the third hottest on record since 1951. This year’s three-month average maximum temperature was 40.1 degree Celsius, with only 2010 (40.8 degree Celsius) and 2022 (40.2 degree Celsius) surpassing it. These years are notable for being the only times the April-June mean maximum has crossed 40 degree Celsius.
More than just heat
Delhiites didn’t just suffer from heat; torrential rains on June 28 set a 28-year high for a single day in June and the highest in 88 years for the month. Tragically, the extreme weather claimed at least 187 lives in Delhi this season, with a minimum of 176 heat-related deaths.
Rainy days ahead in Delhi
Delhi is set to experience a wet spell as an orange alert for heavy rainfall has been issued for the national capital from Monday until Wednesday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a drop in the maximum temperature by around 7-8 degree Celsius during this period.
More From This Section
 "Amit Shah, Home Minister, Amit")
 "Rahul Gandhi, Rahul, congress leader")
 "Modi, Narendra Modi")
 "Supreme Court, SC, Top Court")
 "Scam, Online scam")
Safdarjun recorded no rainfall in the 24 hours leading up to 8.30 am on Monday. Despite forecasts of moderate to heavy rain for Sunday, the monsoon trough did not shift towards Delhi, resulting in high humidity instead.
The IMD has predicted overcast skies and heavy rainfall across the capital on Monday. “Moderate to heavy rainfall is likely till Wednesday. From Thursday until Saturday, we will see a reduction in rain intensity,” the IMD stated.
Delhi weather update
The IMD classifies rainfall as ‘light’ between 2.5 mm and 15.5mm, ‘moderate’ between 15.6 mm and 64.4 mm, ‘heavy’ between 64.5 mm and 115.5 mm, and ‘very heavy’ when it exceeds 115.5 mm within 24 hours.
Delhi’s minimum temperature was recorded at 28.4 degree Celsius on Monday, slightly above normal. On Sunday, it was 27 degree Celsius. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 33 degree Celsius today, compared to 37.1 degree Celsius the previous day.
June concluded with Delhi receiving 243.3 mm of rainfall, the highest monthly total since 1936 when 415.8 mm was recorded. The normal monthly average for rainfall in July is 209.7 mm.
 "gavel law cases")
 "Kejriwal, Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi CM")
 "petrol pump, petrol, diesel,")
 "IGI, Terminal-1 collapses, Airport Incident")
 "rain water rainfall")
