India heatwave: red alert as Delhi hits 45 degrees Celsius and Rajasthan hits 47

South China Morning Post

11-06-2025

A blistering heatwave is sweeping across northern India, with temperatures soaring above those typical of the season and region.
The mercury shot up to 47.3 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit) in Sri Ganganagar, a desert city in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, on Monday, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.
The record for the country is 51 degrees, set in May 2016 in Rajasthan's city of Phalodi.
The searing heat is not just a seasonal discomfort but also underscores a growing challenge for the country's overwhelmed healthcare infrastructure. Prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures often causes heatstrokes, mainly affecting the poor, outdoor workers, children and the elderly.
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Last year, a months-long heatwave across swathes of India killed more than 100 people and led to more than 40,000 suspected cases of heatstroke, according to data from the health ministry.
The Indian capital, New Delhi, saw its first heatwave of the season, with temperatures soaring past 45 degrees in one of its neighbourhoods on Monday. The swelter wasn't just numerical, as the real-feel temperature – the heat index, factoring in relative humidity – was a couple of notches higher.
For autorickshaw driver Pradeep Kumar, the scorching heat has taken a toll on his health and affected his household income, as people have avoided daytime commuting.
'This heat makes us very tired. We drink water to keep up. But many times, our health gets affected,' Kumar said. 'I feel troubled.'
A volunteer distributes free drinking water outside a Sikh temple, during a hot day in the old quarters of Delhi on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE
The weather department has issued heatwave warnings for the next couple of days in northern India, including the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and the New Delhi national capital region. Some parts of those areas may witness light showers from Thursday, bringing relief.
India declares a heatwave whenever temperatures are above 40 degrees in the plains and 30 degrees or more in its hilly regions.
Heatwaves are usually reported from March to June and, in some cases, in July. The peak month is May, but this season was relatively cooler due to weather aberrations amid multiple westerly disturbances, said G.P. Sharma, president of private weather forecaster Skymet.
Ryan Rodriguez, a 22-year-old tourist from the United States, was seen sipping a lemonade to keep himself cool in Delhi.
'It's pretty hot here. I just came from a trip to the Middle East, so I am sort of adjusting to it. But [this is] much hotter than Virginia. I haven't seen any worse heat than this in India so far,' Rodriguez said.
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In Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, a punishing heatwave has made people's lives difficult as power grids struggled to keep pace with the soaring electricity demand.
'There is no light for hours in the afternoon, just when the heat is unbearable,' said Shabnam Khan, a homemaker in Lucknow, the state's capital city. 'The fan stops, the cooler doesn't work, and we are left sitting on the floor, drenched in sweat.'
The state recorded its highest-ever electricity demand of 30,161 megawatts late on Sunday as millions of homes and businesses ran cooling systems to beat the heat. Officials expect demand to surpass 32,000 megawatts in the coming weeks.
Atul Kumar Singh, a senior scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Lucknow, said the battle against this brutal summer heat was far from over, as seasonal monsoon rains were still weeks away.
'We are seeing the worst of both heat and humidity. This is no longer just a matter of discomfort. It is becoming a public health emergency,' said Singh.