IMD Issues ‘Orange Alert’ in Delhi & Neighbouring States; What Does it Mean?

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an 'orange alert' for a severe heatwave in Delhi and the surrounding districts of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh on Monday. The meteorological service had previously issued a yellow alert for the day in the nation's capital.

What Orange alert means?

An orange alert represents a warning and calls for administrators/management to 'Be Prepared.

"An orange alert has been issued in Delhi. Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and portions of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been experiencing extreme heat since June 4. For the next four days, temperatures will range between 44° and 47°C. We warn people to exercise caution outside due to the extreme heat," said RK Jenamani, a senior scientist at IMD.

He went on to say that the monsoon has yet to start anywhere in the country's north. "We're keeping an eye on everything." The monsoons are still a long way off in Delhi, according to the IMD scientist.

For the previous two days, Delhi has been experiencing extreme heat. The capital city experienced a high temperature of 44.8 degrees on Sunday.

Mungeshpur had the highest temperature of 47.3°C, followed by Sports Complex in Akshardham with 46.6°C, Najafgarh with 46.3°C, Pitampura with 46.2°C, Ridge with 45.7°C, and Jafarpur with 45.1°C.

According to the IMD, no relief is expected until at least June 10, after which Delhi may see isolated rain activity due to a new western disturbance.

Heavy Rainfall in these states from today

At the same time, from Tuesday onwards, the Met Department predicts an increase in rainfall activity over the northeast and southern landmasses. "Heavy rainfall is forecast in the northern areas of the country. "Warnings have been issued for Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh," Jenamani added.

In a previous tweet, the IMD stated, "Intense spell of rainfall predicted to persist across Northeast India, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, and Sikkim during next five days."

A heatwave is proclaimed over the plains when the highest temperature is 40°C or more and 4.5 degrees above usual for two days in a row.