New Delhi, Jun 29 (PTI) Delhi reeled under heatwave conditions on Monday, with the mercury crossing the 42-degree Celsius mark at most weather stations as the city also experienced its warmest night for the second consecutive day.
The maximum temperatures were around 4 to 5 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average across the city but temperatures dropped sharply, between by 7-9 degrees Celsius at places due to a thunderstorm and strong winds in the evening.
The city also experienced high humidity during the day, making conditions more uncomfortable.
The IMD said the thunderstorm activity is likely to bring an end to the ongoing heatwave spell, with weather conditions expected to remain relatively cooler over the next few days.
The IMD has forecasted
thunderstorms with rain on Tuesday, with maximum and minimum temperatures expected to settle at 42 and 30 degrees Celsius.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Safdarjung, which is the city’s base station, recorded 42.2 degrees Celsius, five degrees above normal. Palam recorded a maximum temperature of 42.4 degrees Celsius, 4.8 degrees above normal, while Ayanagar registered 42.2 degrees Celsius, three degrees above normal.
Lodi Road recorded 42.1 degrees Celsius 5.1 degrees above normal and the Ridge station was the hottest at 43.4 degrees Celsius 4.7 degrees above normal.
The maximum temperatures were around 4 to 5 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average across the city.
The city had witnessed a hot Sunday, with the maximum temperature ranging between 41.8 degrees Celsius and 42.6 degrees Celsius across the five observatories, around 2.6 to 5.1 degrees above normal, the IMD data showed.
Like Sunday, people woke up to a warm morning on Monday, with the minimum temperature settling at 31.1 degrees Celsius, matching the previous day’s low, which was the warmest in two years. Weather officials said Delhi’s “feels-like” temperature was 40.6 degrees at 8.30 am.
A thunderstorm developed over Delhi and adjoining areas between 4.30 and 6.30 pm, leading to a sharp fall in temperatures and strong winds.
At Palam, the temperature dropped by around seven degrees Celsius from 42 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius, while wind speeds touched 52 kmph. Safdarjung recorded a fall from 42 degrees Celsius to 39 degrees Celsius, accompanied by gusts of up to 33 kmph.
Several other areas also witnessed a sharp dip in temperatures. Najafgarh recorded a fall of 8.9 degrees Celsius, from 39.9 degrees Celsius to 31 degrees Celsius, while Jafarpur saw the mercury drop by 7.3 degrees Celsius, from 41.1 degrees Celsius to 33.8 degrees Celsius.
Despite the thunderstorm activity, rainfall remained negligible across most weather stations. The IMD recorded no measurable rainfall at Safdarjung, Palam, Ridge and Ayanagar, while Lodi Road reported only a trace of rain between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm.
According to the IMD, the minimum temperature was 3.2 notches above the seasonal average, similar to Sunday. The last time the city’s minimum temperature was higher was on June 14, 2024, when it was recorded at 33.3 degrees Celsius.
Further, the minimum temperature at Safdarjung, the city’s base observatory, was recorded at 31.1 degrees Celsius. Among other stations, Lodhi Road recorded a minimum temperature of 30.2 degrees Celsius, also 3.2 notches above normal, while Palam recorded 29.7 degrees Celsius, 1.7 notches above normal.
The mercury settled at 29.4 degrees Celsius at Ayanagar and 28.4 degrees Celsius at Ridge, both remaining above the seasonal average.
The IMD has predicted partly cloudy sky for Tuesday with a spell of very light to light rain/thunderstorms with gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph and further reaching to 60 kmph towards afternoon/evening. The weather department has also issued yellow alerts for light rain for the next three consecutive days.
The air quality was recorded in the ‘moderate’ category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 151, according to the Sameer app.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’. PTI VBH VBH SKY SKY
