New Delhi records highest-ever temperature

Temperatures in India’s capital soared to a national record-high of 52.3 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, the government’s weather bureau said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), which reported “severe heat-wave conditions”, recorded the temperatures in the Delhi suburb of Mungeshpur on Wednesday afternoon, smashing the previous national record in the desert of Rajasthan by one degree Celsius.

The weather bureau said the temperatures were 12 degrees higher than expected.

Forecasters predict similar temperatures on Wednesday for the city with an estimated population of more than 30 million people, issuing a red alert warning notice for people to take care.

The IMD’s red alert is a warning there is a “very high likelihood of developing heat illness and heat stroke in all ages”, with “extreme care needed for vulnerable people”.

Heat remains high even during the night, it added.

The IMD said the heat wave in northwest and central India was “likely to reduce gradually” from Thursday.

In May 2022, parts of Delhi hit 49.2 degrees Celsius (120.5 Fahrenheit), Indian media reported at the time.

India is no stranger to searing summer temperatures.

But years of scientific research have found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense.