New Delhi: The national capital had a warm morning on Thursday, with the meteorological office forecasting a heatwave in the region throughout the day, with the maximum temperature expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius.

The city's minimum temperature was recorded at 23 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). "A severe heatwave is expected to sweep across the region on Thursday, with maximum temperatures hovering around 43 degrees Celsius," according to an official from the IMD.

A heatwave is declared in the plains when the maximum temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius and is at least 4.5 degrees above normal. The weather service predicts that the temperature at Delhi's base station, the Safdarjung Observatory, would reach 44 degrees Celsius by Friday. On Wednesday, the maximum temperature was 41.5 degrees Celsius, three degrees above usual. At 8.30 a.m., the relative humidity in the city was 34%, according to IMD officials.

The air quality index in Delhi remained in the poor category at 293 at 9.05 a.m. on Thursday, according to statistics from the Central Pollution Control Board.

An AQI of zero to fifty is regarded good, 51 to one hundred satisfactory, 101 to two hundred moderate, 201 to 300 poor, 301 to 400 very poor, and 401 to 500 severe.

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