Heatwave alert: Delhi's Najafgarh warmest in country at 47.4 degrees Celsius, brutal heat scorches northwest India

Extreme heatwave sweeps northwest India, with temperatures soaring to 47.4 degrees Celsius, impacting millions, intensifying due to climate change.

A brutal heat wave swept swathes of northwest India on Friday, with the maximum temperature soaring to a scorching 47.4 degrees Celsius in southwest Delhi’s Najafgarh, the highest in the country so far this season.

The mercury breached 45 degrees Celsius at 19 places in Rajasthan, 18 in Haryana, eight in Delhi and two in Punjab.

Conditions are expected to turn worse with the severe heat wave over the northwest Indian plains predicted to continue during the next five days.

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.

“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 May 17, 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 p.m., Najafgarh was the warmest place in the country.