Expect a hot and humid day today; Delhi to get rainfall only around June 26: IMD
According to weather department officials, the impact of the western disturbance, which brought light spells of rain in the capital over the last week, is over and Delhi may get rain only from June 26
Mercury will continue to rise across the national capital today and is expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius, with isolated areas experiencing even 40 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.
Delhi saw a rise of nearly three degrees Celsius on Wednesday in most areas, with the Safdarjung observatory recording a maximum of 37.2 degrees Celsius, as compared to 34.5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.
According to weather department officials, the impact of the western disturbance, which brought light spells of rain in the capital over the last week, is over and Delhi may get rain only from June 26. Till then, a gradual rise in mercury is expected, with Safdarjung likely to record 39 degrees Celsius by Friday and reach the 40-degree mark by Saturday.
“Dry westerly winds are now starting to blow towards Delhi again, but the moisture content is also sufficient. This will bring some discomfort during the day as both humidity and temperature will be high. There is a possibility of thundery development on June 26 and chances of light rain on June 27, but before that, it will remain dry,” said RK Jenamani, a scientist at IMD.
Delhi recorded a maximum of 37.2 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 24.3 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. Today, this is expected to be around 38 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius, respectively. Humidity is also expected to remain moderate today. On Wednesday, it was between 56 and 81 per cent.
The capital last recorded a wet spell from June 15 till June 21, with the maximum temperature dropping to as low as 30.7 degrees Celsius on June 19 – eight degrees below normal, and the lowest for June since 18 June 2013, when it was 30 degrees Celsius.
Delhi has so far received 24.5 mm of rainfall (recorded by Safdarjung), which is still well short of the normal monthly mark of 65.5 mm.
So far, the weather department has not announced a possible date for the onset of the southwest monsoon over Delhi. But, according to private weather forecaster Skymet, monsoon could arrive in Delhi by June 30. The normal date for the onset of the southwest monsoon over Delhi is June 27.
In terms of air quality, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 133 (moderate) at 8 am today morning, a slight improvement from Wednesday’s 4 pm reading of 139. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar), the AQI is likely to improve over the next three days.
“For the next three days (June 23-25), peak wind speed is likely to be around 15-20 km/hr, causing moderate dispersion, and AQI is likely to be within ‘moderate’ or the upper end of the ‘satisfactory’ category. Moderate temperature (32 degress Celsius) and mixing layer height (1-2 km) maintain moderate ventilation by convection improving air quality,” Safar said on Thursday.