Delhi’s power demand touched its highest level of the season on Monday as the city continued to reel under intense heatwave conditions, with temperature soaring above 43°C and nights remaining unusually warm.
According to the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC), the Capital recorded a peak power demand of 8,439 MW at 3.35 pm on Monday, surpassing the previous seasonal high of 8,231 MW recorded on May 21.
This peak in power demand comes on a day when the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Delhi witnessed warm night conditions, with the minimum temperature settling at 32.4 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung — 5.7 notches above normal. The maximum temperature reached 43.5 degrees Celsius, 3.3 degrees above normal.
Several stations recorded even higher temperatures, with Ridge touching 44.3°C and Palam and Ayanagar recording 44°C each.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for heatwave conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday, warning that maximum temperature is likely to remain between 43°C and 45°C. Warm night conditions are also expected to persist till May 26.
Relief, however, may arrive later in the week. The Weather Department has forecast thunderstorm, lightning and light rainfall accompanied by gusty winds between May 28 and May 31, which could bring down temperature by 7-8 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained in the “poor” category on Monday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 254.
