IMD expects mercury to rise, touch 45°C in parts of Capital tomorrow
Temperatures shot up across the Capital on Wednesday as the impact of Cyclone Asani over Delhi waned considerably, with the mercury touching a high of over 43 degrees Celsius (°C) in some parts, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The maximum temperature is expected to rise by between one and three degrees over the next 48 hours, with heatwave conditions likely to be declared in Delhi from Friday, the IMD predicted. It added that a “yellow alert” had been sounded for Delhi from Friday till Sunday.
The Safdarjung observatory, Delhi’s base weather station, recorded a maximum temperature of 41.4°C on Wednesday, two degrees above normal and 1.9 more than Tuesday.
Najafgarh was the hottest location in the city, with a maximum of 43.3°C.
In terms of minimum temperature, Delhi recorded a low of 28°C on Wednesday, which was still three notches above normal. The minimum too is expected to rise in the coming days and will remain near 29°C until Sunday, the IMD said
RK Jenamani, scientist at IMD, said Delhi’s maximum temperature remained between 39°C and 40°C over the past three days,
owing to relatively cooler easterly winds, as a result of Cyclone Asani, which is still over the Bay of Bengal. However, wind direction will switch to westerly by Thursday, he said.
“The cyclone has weakened considerably and its impact on Delhi also reduced on Wednesday, which led to a rise in temperature. These moisture-laden winds of speeds of up to 15-20 km/hr were regulating the temperature but on Wednesday, wind speeds dropped and the easterly component also reduced. From Thursday onwards, there will be a sustained rise in temperature until the weekend,” said Jenamani.
The IMD expects Safdarjung to record a maximum of around 43 degrees by Thursday and 44 degrees by Friday. The mercury will hover around that mark on Saturday and Sunday, the weather office said.
“A yellow alert currently exists for Friday and Saturday. Heatwave conditions are expected in places that cross the 44°C mark, which should happen from Friday onwards,” said Jenamani.
So far this year, the highest maximum temperature recorded at Safdarjung has been 43.5°C, on three consecutive days of April 28, 29 and 30. The highest overall maximum temperature across Delhi was 47.1°C on April 30, at the Sports Complex station (Akshardham).