According to the IMD, wind speeds during the dust storm and thunderstorm activity were recorded at up to 81 kmph at Pusa Road, 56 kmph at Palam and 35 kmph at Pragati Maidan. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

The story so far:

Delhi and the NCR are facing longer and more intense heatwaves, with the city increasingly retaining heat even at night. Rapid urbanisation, concrete-heavy infrastructure, air conditioning, and shrinking green cover have turned the Urban Heat Island Effect into a deeper “heat re-trap”.

Why is Delhi retaining heat?

This transformation is rooted in the city’s material logic. Concrete, asphalt, steel, and glass dominate Delhi NCR’s expansion. These materials absorb heat efficiently but release it slowly.

Roads, rooftops, and facades accumulate heat through the day and emit it at night, delaying cooling. Surface temperatures in dense areas reach 50-60°C on peak afternoons. These surfaces act as reservoirs, keeping the surrounding air warm well into the night. The city, in effect, stores the sun.

Glass-heavy architecture in areas such as Gurgaon and Noida worsens the problem by allowing solar radiation indoors, increasing reliance on air conditioning rather than reducing heat.

Vehicular activity adds constant thermal input. Corridors like NH-48 function as continuous heat sources, where engines and exhaust combine with heat-absorbing asphalt to create persistent hotspots. Over time, these form into thermal corridors that reshape the city’s microclimate.

At the same time, Delhi struggles to release heat. High-density construction and narrow streets restrict airflow, while traditional cooling features — courtyards, shaded pathways, ventilation corridors — have largely disappeared. As a result, air stagnates and heat accumulates within the city’s form.

How does cooling contribute to warming?

While interiors are cooled, heat is expelled outdoors. In dense neighbourhoods, this raises ambient temperatures by 1-2°C.

This produces a feedback loop: rising temperatures increase the demand for cooling, which in turn releases more heat outside. The city cools itself internally while warming externally.

The energy burden is also significant. Delhi’s peak electricity demand has crossed 8,000 MW during the summer, with cooling accounting for a significant share. Nationally, cooling demand is projected to grow nearly eightfold by 2050, increasing pressure on power systems and raising the risk of outages during extreme heat.

How is heat affecting the economy and ecology?

Factories and warehouses operate within specific temperature limits; excessive heat reduces efficiency and affects machinery. Productivity declines by 2-3% for every degree rise above optimal levels, leading to delays and higher costs.

Supply chains are also slowing as transport hours shrink and storage conditions deteriorate. 

At a broader level, India loses over $100 billion annually due to the decline in heat-related productivity.

Ecologically, the city has lost natural cooling systems. Shrinking green cover, degraded wetlands, and the loss of the Yamuna floodplains have reduced evapotranspiration. Without vegetation and water bodies, Delhi’s ability to regulate temperature has weakened.

What measures are needed to address the crisis?

Addressing this crisis requires structural change in how cities are built and managed. Materials must shift toward high-albedo surfaces, cool roofs, and reflective coatings. Buildings need insulation and passive design strategies like shading and cross-ventilation.

Urban planning must restore airflow through ventilation corridors and better street orientation. Green and blue infrastructure — including urban forests, parks, and water bodies — must expand as essential cooling systems.

Reducing heat generated by human activity is equally important. Sustainable transport, electric mobility, and improved public transit can lower vehicular emissions. Energy-efficient appliances and district cooling systems can reduce heat discharge.

Equally critical is social protection. Affordable housing upgrades, subsidised cooling, and community cooling centres are necessary to protect vulnerable populations during extreme heat.

(Suksham Tanu is a sustainability and environmental studies enthusiast based in Dubai; Amir Hyder Khan is a final-year B.Arch student at Jamia Millia Islamia)

Published – May 11, 2026 08:30 am IST

A thick layer of smog is seen in New Delhi on November 28, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

New Delhi:

Delhi witnessed the second-hottest day of the season on Saturday as the maximum temperature was recorded at 28.6 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The hottest day of the season was recorded on February 11, when the maximum temperature was 29.7 degrees Celsius.

The weather department has forecast mist for Sunday. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 29 degrees Celsius and 11 degrees Celsius respectively.

The humidity levels fluctuated between 84 per cent and 45 per cent.

The air quality was recorded in the “moderate” category, with an AQI reading of 183 at 7 pm, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

An Air Quality Index (AQI) between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Delhi saw a slight improvement in air quality on Tuesday with AQI reading at 296 (poor), while temperatures are expected to drop to 5 degrees Celsius in the coming days, officials said.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI in the national capital had remained in the “very poor” category for the past week.

On Monday, the AQI was recorded at 335 in the “very poor” category.

Meanwhile, the weather department’s 7-day forecast indicates that from Wednesday, the minimum temperature will start dipping, and by Friday, it is expected to drop to 5 degrees Celsius.

The Safdarjung observatory, Delhi’s primary weather station, recorded a maximum temperature of 16.2 degrees Celsius, 2.8 notches above normal.

The minimum temperature stood at 10.5 degrees Celsius, 3.6 notches above the normal, with relative humidity ranging between 87 and 92 per cent during the day, the IMD said.

Thick fog blanketed Delhi during the early hours, reducing visibility to 150 metres and delaying 25 trains.

“Minimum visibility of 150 metres in dense fog with northwesterly winds at 11-13 kmph was reported over Palam between 5 and 5:30 am, gradually improving to 700 metres in shallow fog with westerly winds at 13 kmph by 8:30 am,” IMD said.

At Safdarjung, the minimum visibility was recorded at 500 metres, the IMD added.

The weather office has predicted mainly clear skies with cold day conditions at isolated places. Smog or moderate fog is expected in most places with dense fog likely in isolated areas in the morning.

Additionally, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Sunday revoked curbs under Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR after the region witnessed a dip in air pollution levels owing to favourable meteorological conditions, especially improved wind speed.

However, restrictions under Stage 1 and Stage 2 of GRAP remain in place across Delhi-NCR.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Rain lashed Delhi-NCR throughout Friday with the city recording its highest December rainfall in the last 15 years and the mercury dropping sharply to 14.6 degree celsius, the weather department said.

The rain began late Thursday around 2.30 am and continued throughout the day, it said.

According to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) data between in the last 24 hours till 8.30 am on Friday, the city logged 9.1 mm of rainfall.

The observatory at Safdarjung — the national capital’s primary weather station — recorded an additional 30.2 mm of rainfall between from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm on Friday, as per the data.

The total rainfall for December stands at 42.8 mm, marking the highest rainfall this month in the last 15 years, based on data from 2009 to 2024 available on the weather department’s website.

Meanwhile, the all-time highest December rainfall was recorded in 1884, when the city received 134.4 mm of rain.

The observatory at Palam registered 31.4 mm rainfall, 34.2 mm in Lodhi Road, 33.4 mm in Ridge, 39 mm in Delhi University and 35 mm in Pusa till 5:30 pm on Friday.

For comparison, the city’s December rainfall in 2023 was trace, while in 2022 it was 0.0 mm, 2021 saw 9.6 mm, and 2020 recorded just 1.6 mm. In 2019, Delhi recorded 33.9 mm of rainfall in December, which now stands as the second-highest in the last 15 years.

Met officials said an active western disturbance and its interaction with easterly winds were causing light to moderate rainfall and thunderstorms over northwest and central India, including the NCR areas of Delhi.

The rain caused waterlogging and traffic snarls in many areas across the city, with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi Central Control Room receiving a total of 13 complaints, nine for waterlogging and four for fallen trees.

The Public Works Department (PWD) received one call for waterlogging and one for a fallen tree, the officials said. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said that by 7 PM they had not received any calls regarding waterlogging or fallen trees.

Mercury also dropped to 9.5 degree celsius, because of the rain, marking the lowest maximum temperature in the last five years. On Thursday, the maximum temperature was recorded at 24.1 degree celsius, according to data from the IMD.

The IMD data showed that in 2023 the lowest daytime temperature drop in December was 15.9 degree Celsius, 15.6 degree Celsius in December, 2022, 17.8 degree Celsius in 2021, 15.2 degree Celsius 2020 and in 14.3 degree Celsius in 2019.

The department said a generally cloudy sky with intermittent rain is likely on Saturday.

Additionally, one or two spells of light rain is expected during the early morning to forenoon, followed by a cloudy sky for the rest of the day, it added.

The predominant surface wind is expected to be from the southeast direction with a speed of less than 4 kmph during the morning hours. Smog or shallow fog is expected in most areas, with moderate fog in isolated places during the morning, the weather office said.

The wind speed is expected to increase, reaching less than 8 kmph from the northeast direction during the afternoon, before decreasing to less than 4 kmph from the northeast during the evening and night. Smog or shallow fog is also likely in the evening and night, it added.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to settle at 15 and 12 degree celsius, respectively, it said.

The 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 353 at 4 pm on Friday and of the 35 monitoring stations, one at Nehru Nagar recorded air quality in the “severe” category, while the rest were in the “very poor” and “poor” categories, the data from the SAMEER app showed.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The story so far: At least five people in Bihar’s Aurangabad city reportedly died on Thursday due to a sunstroke, news agency Reuters reported. Parts of north and central India continued to reel under a severe heatwave on Thursday, even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted a gradual fall in temperature over the next five days. On Wednesday, an automatic weather station in Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 52.9 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature on record in the capital. The IMD, however, said that this could be due to “an error in sensor or local factors”, since the recorded temperature was an outlier. The IMD is said that it is examining the data and sensors.

Ten more people were reported dead government hospital in Odisha’s Rourkela region on Thursday due to the heat. A 40-year-old labourer in Delhi died due to a heatstroke (a condition in which the body temperature increases beyond 40 degrees C) on Thursday, The Indian Express reported. Despite these reports, it must be noted that heat-related deaths are widely underreported.

What does IMD’s latest report say?

As per the IMD report released Friday afternoon, maximum temperatures in northwest and central India are predicted to fall gradually by 2-3 degrees C in the next three days.

Maximum temperatures on Thursday in most parts of Delhi, Haryana, and Chandigarh, as well as large parts of Rajasthan, and isolated pockets over eastern Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha were recorded in the range of 45-48 degrees C.

Parts of western Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and coastal Andhra Pradesh, and isolated pockets over Gujarat, Telangana, and Rayalaseema recorded maximum temperatures in the range of 42-45 degrees C.

How do heatwaves arise?

Some experts believe that post El Niño warming has contributed to higher-than-usual temperatures in north India this year.

El Niño and La Niña are atmospheric patterns that influence the warming and the cooling of sea surface temperatures in the Central and Equatorial Pacific. The two opposing patterns occur in an irregular cycle called the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, with a neutral period in between.

In March 2024, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) announced that even though the 2023-24 El Niño, which peaked as one of the strongest on record and has declined since, will continue to impact climate for the coming months. This exacerbates the heat captured by anthropogenically produced greenhouse gases, causing higher temperatures.

The IMD, in its May bulletin, said that weak El Niño conditions are currently observed over equatorial Pacific and are likely to weaken further and convert into ENSO neutral (the Australian Bureau of Meteorology had already announced on April 16 that the ENSO cycle is now in neutral).

A study published in 2016 had predicted that if El Niño activity increases in the future, heatwaves in India were likely to intensify.

During El Niño, surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific rise, and trade winds — east-west winds that blow near the Equator — weaken. Normally, easterly trade winds blow from the Americas towards Asia. Due to El Niño, they falter and change direction to turn into westerlies.

ENSO, however, does not cause extreme heat in isolation. Teleconnections, which are the relationships between global weather and wind patterns, impact each other. The Walker circulation, which involves the trade winds that blow from east to west along the Equator, are affected by ENSO due to teleconnections.

El Niño is associated with a shift in Walker circulation, causing a large-scale redistribution of heat and moisture. Heat redistribution on the surface impacts airflows above the ocean. It is known that El Niño diminishes Indian monsoon since the weakened Walker circulation disrupts the flow of moist air from the Indian Ocean towards the Indian subcontinent, reducing the moisture available in the winds, hence creating drier conditions.

El Niño also creates high-pressure areas over the Indian subcontinent, which suppress cloud formation and precipitation. The absence of clouds is also contributing to the current heatwave in north and central India.

What’s the cause of North India’s heat?

Delhi and most parts of north and central India that are currently under a heatwave spell, are far from the influence of oceans that can regulate temperatures and air moisture. Continental air, which is a large volume of dry air over a land mass, greatly affects the weather in Delhi because of its inland location. Tropical air masses that originate in the Thar Desert and other hotter, drier regions to the west and northwest of India bring increased heat to Delhi and surrounding areas, contributing to heatwave conditions.

Another important factor exacerbating heatwave conditions in India is loss of tree cover. “The vast expanses of open areas with very little or no trees increase the impact of direct sunlight,” Indu K. Murthy, head of Climate, Environment and Sustainability at CSTEP, told The Hindu. According to the Global Forest Watch, India lost 2.33 million hectare of tree cover from 2001 to 2023, which is equivalent to a 6% decrease in tree cover since 2000, and 1.20 billion tonnes of CO₂e emissions.

In urban areas, the urban heat island (UHI) effect is also at play and contributes to hot conditions. In the UHI effect, urban areas are significantly warmer than their surroundings because building materials like concrete, asphalt, bricks, etc. have higher thermal inertia and absorb and retain more heat than natural landscapes, causing a localised increase in temperature. Densely packed buildings lack proper airflow that allows for cooling.

A study published in Nature journal on May 15, 2024 found that urbanisation alone has led to a 60% enhancement in warming in Indian cities. The UHI effect contributes to global warming as it is associated with an increased demand for energy which leads to a higher production of greenhouse gases. The UHI effect can also impact climate factors other than heat, like rainfall, pollution, etc.

A report by the Centre for Science and Environment, published in May 2024, found that cities are not cooling down at night at the same rate that they used to, not giving people a chance to recover from the daytime heat. “Hot nights are as dangerous as midday peak temperatures,” the study noted. In Delhi, nights are slightly cooler by just 11.2 degrees C, which is 9% down from 2001-2010.

The CSE report also said that the UHI effect is stronger at night than daytime in Delhi.

Is the Delhi Heat Action Plan enough?

Delhi has a Heat Action Plan in place for 2024-2025, but at this stage, it is more like a set of guidelines.

“While the Heat Action Plan of Delhi is a fantastic first step, what is needed is building of capacity across the ecosystem, and the access to funds and facilities that could be utilised without too much bureaucratic hurdles. More importantly, a more disaggregated approach to looking at the problem, applying the demographic and socio-economic lens is a must, as many of the generic solutions may not really serve the under-privileged lower economic strata of people,” Dr. Murthy from CSTEP said.

The Hindu tried reaching out to the Delhi Disaster Management Authority to inquire about the steps it has undertaken to implement the Heat Action Plan, but did not receive a response.

Aditya Valiathan Pillai, a fellow at Sustainable Futures Collaborative, said if we don’t start now, we won’t be able to beat the heat in 10 years. “Delhi has to play catch-up over the next couple of years, as implementing the ideas mentioned in the HAP takes time. My concern with this plan is it doesn’t talk about financing. [The government] needs to figure out how it is going to finance this long list of solutions it has proposed,” Mr. Pillai said.

He added that the plan needs to be grounded in some legal structure for it to “have weight within the bureaucracy and the government”.

New Delhi:

Delhi on Saturday recorded a maximum temperature of 35.2 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season’s average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The minimum temperature in the city was 21.8 degrees Celsius, four notches above the season’s average, it said.

The humidity oscillated between 64 per cent and 39 per cent.

The weather office has forecast a partly cloudy sky with gusty winds on Sunday. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 35 and 20 degrees Celsius, it said.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital was recorded in the “moderate” category with a reading of 182 at 6 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.

Delhi recorded its warmest day this year on Wednesday, with a maximum temperature of 37 degrees Celsius.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Delhiites woke up to light rain on Sunday, with the minimum temperature settling at 13.7 degrees Celsius. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 26.2 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The national capital registered 4 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am. The city is likely to witness a generally cloudy sky with the possibility of more rain or drizzle, the IMD said.

Thunderstorm with light-to-moderate intensity rain may occur over isolated places of Delhi (Civil Lines, Dilshad Garden, Seemapuri, Kashmiri Gate, Seelampur, Shahadra, Vivek Vihar, Red Fort, Preet Vihar, Rajeev Chowk, ITO, India Gate, Akshardham Temple, Nehru Stadium) as well as in adjoining areas, the IMD said, adding that there is also a possibility of hailstorm.

The sky would be cloudy in the next few days. However, there is no forecast of rain in the coming days, the IMD said.

The humidity level was recorded at 70 percent at 5:20 pm.

Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 125, in the “moderate” category, at 6 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 31.1 degrees Celsius on Friday, a notch below the season’s average, according to the India Meteorological Department.

The national capital’s minimum temperature settled at 16.1 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season’s average, the IMD said.

The relative humidity oscillated between 89 per cent and 45 per cent.

The IMD has predicted mainly clear skies for Saturday. The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are likely to settle at 32 and 16 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 190 around 7 pm, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)