Partly clouded skies and a smattering of rain across this week is not expected to keep the maximum temperature from rising, which is forecast to reach 44°C by the weekend, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
According to the forecast, a spell of very light to light rain, accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds, is expected on Monday afternoon or evening, as well as on Saturday. Thunderstorms are also forecast for Tuesday afternoon, with partially cloudy skies expected to remain most of the week.
Will temperature reduce?
However, the maximum temperature is likely to resume increasing from Monday and reaching 42-44°C on Saturday. The IMD’s normal maximum temperature for June 15-19 (Monday- Friday) is 38.8°C and for June 20 (Saturday) is 38.6°C.
Also read | Delhi records 38.5°C, IMD forecasts rain and thunderstorms on Monday
This follows a brief respite following rains on Friday.
The city’s maximum on Sunday was 38.5°C.
Mahesh Palawat, vice-president of Skymet Weather, said the increase in temperature despite thunderstorms is because the weather activity will remain isolated. “Northwesterly winds are expected to continue over northwestern India, including Delhi-NCR. There will not be widespread rain and thunderstorms over northwest India; that’s why a gradual increase is anticipated over the next few days,” he explained.
Also read | Delhi: Overnight rain, thunderstorms bring down temp; AQI stays satisfactory
Meanwhile, the city experienced high humidity on Sunday, ranging from 38% to 81%, leading to a high heat index, also known as the feels-like temperature.
The city’s wet bulb temperature on Sunday at 5:30 pm was 26.07°C. A wet-bulb reading above 32°C can significantly impair the human body’s ability to cool itself, while 35°C is considered the theoretical limit for survival. The minimum temperature of 26.2°C was recorded on Sunday and is expected to reach 30°C to 32°C by Saturday. The IMD’s normal minimum temperature for June 15-19 is 27.5°C and for June 20 -24 is 28°C.
‘Moderate’ AQI
The city’s air quality worsened on Sunday after recording two days in the “satisfactory” category. The 24-hour average AQI was 151 on Sunday, in the “moderate” category.
On Friday, the average AQI was 73, marking the cleanest air quality day since September 5 last year, when it was 67, as per the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) 4pm bulletin.
