Delhi experienced its most scorching day of the season on Monday as temperatures and humidity levels shot up, making it hard for residents to cope. The ‘feels-like’ temperature, also known as the heat index, reached a staggering 49°C in some parts of the city, leaving people sweltering in the punishing weather.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert, warning of extreme heatwave conditions across the capital.

Several weather stations across Delhi recorded dangerous temperature levels. The IGNOU station reported the highest at 45.5°C, followed closely by Ayanagar at 45.3°C. The city’s main observatory at Safdarjung logged 43.4°C, which is 3 degrees above normal.

Heatwave conditions were confirmed by IMD in areas such as Palam (44.3°C), Ridge (44.9°C), and Lodhi Road (43.3°C).

While Delhi is no stranger to hot summers, the humidity on Monday made it feel even worse. Moisture in the air remained high, with humidity levels fluctuating between 25% and 70% throughout the day.

“Despite hot westerly winds sweeping the region, moisture hasn’t left the air. That’s made the heat feel much worse,” said Krishna Mishra, a weather scientist at IMD. “We’ve seen a heatwave settle over Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi for two days in a row, with several areas crossing 44.9 degrees Celsius.”

A new study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) listed Delhi among India’s top 10 districts most at risk from extreme heat.

“Humidity has gone up by 6-9% over the past decade. Combine that with rising temperatures, and the real-feel heat shoots up by 3-5 degrees,” explained Vishwas Chitale, senior programme lead at CEEW.

The scorching temperatures weren’t the only concern. Dry winds from the west carried dust into the city, causing air quality to drop sharply. On Monday, Delhi’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) rose to 235 (‘poor’), up from 198 (‘moderate’) the day before. The increase was blamed on coarse dust particles and a spike in ozone levels.

IMD has kept the orange alert active for Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures expected to hover between 43°C and 45°C. Dusty winds are also likely to continue, worsening pollution levels.

Some relief might come by Thursday, when light rain and thundershowers are expected, though temperatures may still remain in the 42–44°C range.

More meaningful relief is likely to arrive around June 13, when cooler, moist winds from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal could bring down both heat and humidity levels across the region.

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