Delhi Weather: India’s capital recorded a ‘feeling’ high of 48.4C on Saturday; rain expected from monday | Today’s news
Delhi experienced much more intense heat than the actual temperature suggested on Saturday, with the heat index, or “feel” temperature, soaring to 48.4 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature reached 41.3 degrees Celsius, according to PTI.
The Safdarjung weather station, the city’s main observatory, recorded a minimum temperature of 30.8 degrees Celsius. That was 2.9 degrees above the seasonal average and 2.1 degrees above the previous day’s low.
The day’s maximum temperature settled at 41.3 degrees Celsius, which was 4.1 degrees above normal but 0.2 degrees below Friday’s maximum.
Minimum temperatures increased at several weather stations in Delhi on Saturday. Palam recorded a minimum of 28.4 degrees Celsius, up 0.9 degrees from the previous day, while Lodhi Road recorded 29.8 degrees Celsius, up 2.4 degrees. Ridge and Ayanagar recorded minimum temperatures of 26.8 degrees Celsius and 29.3 degrees Celsius respectively.
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Maximum temperatures showed little variation at most monitoring stations.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), some parts of Delhi experienced trace amounts of rain during the early hours of Saturday, but no further rain was reported for the rest of the day.
The IMD has issued a yellow warning for Tuesday and Wednesday, with rain and thunderstorms expected during the period. According to a forecast reported by Hindustan Times, Delhi is expected to be lashed by rain accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds from Monday to Friday.
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“There is a possibility of very light to light rain in the coming days, the weather conditions will intensify on Tuesday and Wednesday, when a yellow alert has been issued,” an IMD official said, adding, “On Sunday, partly clear skies are expected with the possibility of thunderstorms developing in the afternoon or evening. Strong surface winds of 20-30 kmph are also expected, isolated gusts of up to 40 km/h.”
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According to the IMD forecast, the maximum temperature is expected to remain between 39°C and 41°C on Sunday before dropping to 35°C-37°C by Wednesday. At the same time, the minimum temperatures on Sunday will probably remain in the range of 28 to 30 °C.
The expert reacts
According to HT, Mahesh Palawat, vice president of Skymet Weather, said: “Currently, there are southwesterly winds from the Arabian Sea bringing moisture across Pakistan and northwest India, increasing humidity levels. The ‘feel’ temperature is high due to this increased humidity combined with high temperature.”
“Monsoon is also not close because if it was then the wind from the Bay of Bengal would be approaching which we are not seeing at present. So the ‘feel’ temperature is likely to remain high for the next few days,” he added.
Palawat mentioned that the expected drop in temperature will be driven by the expected weather activity. He added that although humidity is likely to persist in the coming days, scattered rainfall around July 2 or 3 should help bring temperatures down. He further said that the monsoon is expected to arrive after July 4.
