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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Delhi, warning of hot and humid conditions on Thursday as temperatures are expected
to climb close to 39 degrees Celsius. An IMD official said isolated parts of the national capital are likely to experience hot and humid weather, prompting the department to issue the alert. The maximum temperature is expected to remain between 37°C and 39°C, while the minimum is likely to be between 27°C and 29°C.
Weather Ahead
According to the IMD forecast, Delhi will witness a partly cloudy sky on Thursday, with hot and humid conditions intensifying during the afternoon. The maximum temperature is expected to touch 39°C, while the minimum is likely to settle around 28°C.
The weather is expected to change from Friday onwards, with thunderstorms and rain likely on July 18 and July 19. Generally cloudy skies are forecast for July 20 and July 21, with daytime temperatures expected to remain around 36°C.
Mahesh Palawat, Vice President at Skymet Weather, said northwest India, including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, is likely to remain largely dry over the next few days, with only isolated light rainfall.
"The monsoon trough is expected to start shifting southwards over the Indo-Gangetic Plain after July 20. During that time, the monsoon may revive over northwest India as well as parts of central India," Palawat said.
On Wednesday, Safdarjung, Delhi's primary weather station, recorded a maximum temperature of 38.4°C, which was 3.2 degrees above normal, while the minimum settled at 29.1°C, 1.9 degrees above normal. The station recorded only a trace of rainfall between 2:30 am and 5:30 am, with no further rain during the day.
Meanwhile, Delhi's air quality remained in the "moderate" category. The city's 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 159 at 4 pm on Wednesday, improving from 172 recorded at the same time on Tuesday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
According to CPCB standards, an AQI between 101 and 200 falls under the "moderate" category.
