After weeks of relief, the summer heat seems to have finally settled in Delhi with the city’s maximum temperature reaching 34.8 degrees Celsius on Sunday the highest so far this year and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting a gradual rise in the mercury. thanks to the fact that it won’t rain next week.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality again deteriorated to the ‘poor’ category on Sunday due to dry dust-raising westerly winds and clear skies. While the IMD had earlier predicted chances of rain on Sunday and Tuesday, its revised forecast now says rain is unlikely in the coming week.
With a maximum temperature of 34.8°C (in the range of what is considered normal for this time of the year) and clear skies likely during the coming week, forecasters say that the mercury in Delhi is now set to rise steadily. This should see maximum temperatures of 36 degrees by Thursday and 37 degrees by Saturday, according to revised forecasts.
Delhi’s highest maximum temperature was 34.3°C
Before Sunday, Delhi’s highest maximum temperature was 34.3°C, which was recorded on March 15. On Saturday, the maximum in Delhi was 34.1 degrees Celsius. In terms of minimum temperature, Delhi recorded a minimum of 15.4 degrees Celsius, four degrees below normal. It was 14.1 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
The onset of hot days predicted in the coming days follows a period of cooler-than-usual weather during the second half of March and early April, which has meant that Delhi residents have yet to experience the full heat of summer this year.
Temperatures generally cross the 35-degree mark in Delhi in March, unlike April, which saw a high of 39.6 degrees Celsius in March last year alone (March 31). In March 2021, the highest recorded high was 40.1 °C (March 30).
In April, the high generally tends to exceed 40 degrees, especially towards the end of the month. Last year, the highest maximum temperature recorded in April was 43.5 °C (April 29 and 30), while in April 2021, the highest temperature was 42.2 °C on April 29.
This time last year, the maximum in Delhi had already touched 42.4°C on April 9. In 2021, the highest high by 9 April was 40.1°C – showing how different this year’s start to summer was.
Earlier, the IMD had predicted a chance of very light rain at isolated places in Delhi on Sunday, along with light rain expected on Tuesday as well. However, the forecast has now changed and the IMD says that the formation of a cyclonic circulation, which was expected over south Haryana and northeast Rajasthan over the weekend, is no longer likely.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 217 (poor) on Sunday, based on the Central Pollution Control Board’s national bulletin, while it was 172 (moderate) at the same time on Saturday.
“The moisture content has decreased considerably, leading to clear skies. The wind direction is also western now, bringing dust from Rajasthan,” said a second official who was met.
CPCB classifies AQI between 0-50 as good, between 51 and 100 as satisfactory, between 101 and 200 as moderate, between 201 and 300 as poor, between 301 and 400 as very poor and above 400 as severe.
The Delhi Early Warning System (EWS), a forecasting model under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, says Delhi’s AQI will remain in the poor category till April 12 due to increase in dust concentration.
Read Now :Rahul Gandhi will visit his former constituency Wayanad in Kerala
