Weather update: Hot and humid conditions to continue in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar

Mumbai continued to reel under hot and humid conditions on Thursday amidst the India Meteorological Department IMD issuing a yellow warning alert for the city and its neighbouring areas With temperatures in the range of 3435 degrees Celsius the city is experiencing extreme discomfort due to high humidity levelsThe IMD said that hot and humid conditions will continue in Mumbai Thane and PalgharOn Thursday temperatures in Mumbai reached a maximum of 360 degrees Celsius with minimum temperatures hovering around 280 degrees CelsiusWeather update Heat wave in IndiaMeanwhile the blistering heat sweeping across large swathes of India continued unabated on Wednesday with the mercury surging to 48 degrees Celsius in Rajasthans Barmer the highest temperature recorded in the country this year so farWater levels in the Delhi stretch of the Yamuna River dropped amid the sweltering heat affecting water supplyOfficial data showed that at least 24 places in Delhi Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Uttar Pradesh Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh recorded maximum temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius or above on WednesdayBarmer in Rajasthan recorded a high of 48 degrees Celsius the highest in the country this season so far Churu logged a high of 474 degrees Phalodi 478 degrees and Jaisalmer 472 degreesMaximum temperatures settled at 45 degrees in Madhya Pradeshs Ratlam 448 degrees in Maharashtras Akola 477 degrees in Haryanas Sirsa 466 degrees in Punjabs Bhatinda 461 degrees in Gujarats Kandla and 45 degrees in Jhansi in Uttar PradeshWeather update IMD predicting a rise in temperatureConditions are set to deteriorate further with the India Meteorological Department predicting a rise of three to four degrees in northwest India over the next few daysThe Met department issued a red warning for Rajasthan Punjab Haryana Chandigarh Delhi and west Uttar Pradesh emphasising a very high likelihood of heat illness and heatstroke in all agesIt said warm night conditions could further exacerbate heatrelated stress in Uttar Pradesh Punjab Haryana Delhi and Rajasthan over the next four daysWeather update High night temperaturesHigh night temperatures are considered dangerous because the body doesnt get a chance to cool down Increasing nighttime heat is more common in cities because of the urban heat island effect in which metro areas are significantly hotter than their surroundingsThe punishing heat is straining power grids and drying up water bodies triggering droughtlike conditions in parts of the countryAccording to the Central Water Commission water storage in 150 major reservoirs in India plunged to their lowest level in five years last week exacerbating water shortages in many states and significantly affecting hydropower generation