Delhi Temperature to Touch 40 Deg Celsius After Brief Relief; Heatwave Unlikely till June 1, Says IMD

The temperature in Delhi rose above the 35 degrees Celsius mark to settle at at 38 degrees Celsius on Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, after a wet spell over the capital that started on Sunday and continued till early Tuesday (May 24) providing relief to the scorched city.

The minimum temperature in Delhi on Friday morning was recorded at 25.5 degrees Celsius, a notch below the normal, while the weather department predicted overcast conditions with the possibility of light rains during the day. The relative humidity at 8:30 a.m. was 66 per cent.

“While some drizzle may be seen on Friday evening or night, this will not impact the maximum temperature too much, which after four days, will begin to rise close to the 40-degree mark by Saturday,” the Hindustan Times quoted a met official as saying. He said that the mercury may touch 41°C by next Tuesday.

However, heatwave conditions are unlikely in the capital till at least June 1, with the maximum expected to stay mostly between 41 and 43 degrees, the weatherman said.

In order for heatwave conditions to return, stations in Delhi would have to record a maximum of 45 degrees or higher, or be 4.5 degrees above the normal temperature for this time of the year. The normal mark for May 26-30 period is 40.4°C.

“We are actually seeing below normal temperature for four days now and it should remain the same for the next couple of days possibly, providing much needed relief from the heat,” the IMD official said.

Delhi’s air quality index at Friday 9 a.m. was 176, which is in the ‘moderate’ category, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.