The heat wave is making life difficult for the residents of Delhi NCR, and adding to their woes is the increase in humidity levels. While the mercury touched 41 degrees Celsius on Thursday, which was a degree above normal, Delhiites felt much more than that. That is because the real feel was a whopping 50 degrees Celsius on Thursday due to high humidity levels present in the atmosphere.
'Real feel,' also referred to as 'feels like' and the heat index, is a measurement of what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature. It takes into account different factors like relative humidity and ambient temperature to determine how it actually feels outside.
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Delhi saw the highest heat index of this season so far at 55.4 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, when the day temperature was 43.4 degrees Celsius. Thursday's feel-like temperature of 50 degrees Celsius is the second highest this summer.
On Wednesday, the maximum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 43.4 degrees Celsius, 42.4 degrees on Tuesday, and 44.1 degrees on Monday. The highest temperature this summer was recorded on May 19 at 44.4 degrees Celsius, according to IMD data.
There is more bad news for the residents of Delhi, as the feels-like temperature is predicted to increase further in the coming days before there is some respite.
According to the IMD, the 'feels like' temperature of Delhi is likely to be around 56 degrees on Friday and Saturday. Relief may come by Sunday as the wind direction shifts to westerly, potentially lowering the feel-like temperature.
Also read: Heat Waves Claimed 17,000 Lives In 50 Years In India
Significantly, the IMD has issued an 'Orange Alert' for Delhi on Saturday, the day the national capital is scheduled to go to polling booths for the Lok Sabha Elections.
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