On Wednesday, Delhi witnessed intense heat of the season for the first time as the Ridge station in the northern part of the city recorded a maximum temperature of 40.1 degrees Celsius, as per India Meteorological department (IMD).

Notably, the maximum temperature in the city stood at 38.9 degrees Celsius and the minimum at 17.7 degrees Celsius, it added.

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However, the Weather Department denied any heat wave conditions for the day. “This is the first day of satisfying Heat Wave Criteria that too on one station only. We need two stations and two consecutive days of temperature notching above 40 degrees Celsius,” it said in a statement.

A slight fall of 1-2 degrees is expected tomorrow and an abrupt fall of 3-4 degrees the day after, IMD added.

The criteria for heat wave conditions include a station’s highest temperature exceeding 40 degrees for plains and 30 degrees for hilly regions and when the actual maximum temperature remains 45 degrees or more irrespective of the normal maximum temperature, heat waves are declared.