Heatwave Grips Northern and Central India, Delhi Hits 79-Year High

Large parts of northern and central India continued to endure a sweltering heatwave on Wednesday, with temperatures in the national capital reaching a 79-year high. Delhi's Safdarjung observatory recorded a maximum of 46.8 degrees Celsius. However, weather officials were perplexed when Mungeshpur reported a temperature of 52.9 degrees Celsius, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to investigate the automatic weather station in the area for potential sensor errors.

Cities and towns across Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh experienced scorching temperatures exceeding 47 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. Rohtak and Prayagraj recorded the highest temperatures in the country, reaching 48.8 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD.

According to the IMD, both Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh and Rohtak in Haryana broke records for the highest maximum temperature ever recorded for the month. Prayagraj had recorded a maximum of 48.4 degrees Celsius on May 30, 1994, while Rohtak's previous all-time high was 47.2 degrees on June 6, 1995. However, it was the unprecedented maximum temperature of 52.9 degrees Celsius in Mungeshpur, a densely populated area amid fields and open spaces on the outskirts of the national capital, that left weather scientists perplexed.

"It looks abnormal and it is an outlier when compared with other weather stations in the national capital region," IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said in a statement.