Mercury may soar to 40°C by Tuesday, says Met dept
NEW DELHI: The daytime temperature is set to touch 40 degrees Celsius (°C) on Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department said on Saturday, indicating the arrival of a proper summer day in the Capital.
The maximum temperature usually crosses the 40-degree mark by April 15. This has been delayed as back-to-back western disturbances impacting the northwest region have kept the mercury under check. To be sure, parts of the city recorded a high of 40°C on Thursday with several weather stations marking this reading on the scale. However, the scale at Safdarjung, representative of Delhi’s weather, is yet to reach the mark so the Capital has not officially recorded it.
“The maximum is expected to touch 40°C by Tuesday then 41°C by Friday. The minimum is forecast to hover around 24°C and 25°C through next week,” said a Met official.
The highest maximum recorded this season at Safdarjung was 39.4°C on April 12 and then again on April 19.
The maximum on Saturday was recorded at 37.2°C — even as strong surface winds continued to course through the city due to a western disturbance. It was 39.4°C on Friday and 39.2°C on Thursday
The minimum temperature on Saturday was 23.3°C, two degrees above normal. It was 24.3°C on Friday. Other weather stations like Pitampura, Pusa and Palam recorded a maximum of 38.7°C, 38.1°C and 37.2°C, respectively, on Saturday. The minimum at these stations were 26.1°C, 23.4°C and 24.2°C.
Meanwhile, IMD has forecast partly cloudy skies and strong surface winds to continue through Sunday and Monday as well, with the possibility of a drizzle in isolated areas on Monday.
Delhi’s air quality deteriorated and the 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) recorded a reading of 217 (poor) on Saturday.