Mercury to hit 44°C this week, says IMD

IMD said the impact of the western disturbance, which brought an intense dust storm to Delhi-NCR last Friday, weakened and the region is likely to see clear skies from Tuesday

Delhi is set for a hotter week ahead, with the maximum temperature expected to rise by three to four degrees and touch 44°C by Friday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), after the maximum temperature on Monday was recorded at 40.2°C, which was one degree above the normal.

Delhi’s maximum temperature is likely to hover around 41°C on Tuesday, likely to reach 42°C on Wednesday, 43°C by Thursday and 44°C by Friday, IMD said. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

IMD said the impact of the western disturbance, which brought an intense dust storm to Delhi-NCR last Friday, weakened and the region is likely to see clear skies from Tuesday.

“Although we saw cloudiness during the day, these clouds soon moved away from Delhi towards Uttar Pradesh and no rain was recorded. By Tuesday, the impact of this western disturbance should be completely over, with days to become hotter,” IMD scientist Kuldeep Srivastava said.

Delhi’s maximum temperature is likely to hover around 41°C on Tuesday, likely to reach 42°C on Wednesday, 43°C by Thursday and 44°C by Friday, IMD said. “In the absence of a western disturbance and with no moisture expected in the next few days, there will be clear skies during the day and limited wind speed. This will make days extremely warm,” Srivastava said.

The highest maximum temperature recorded so far this season was 42°C, which was on May 7, according to the Safdarjung weather station, which is considered representative of Delhi weather.

On Monday, other stations recorded hotter temperatures, with the highest maximum of 43.3°C recorded at the Najafgarh station in southwest Delhi. This was followed by 42.8°C at Pitampura station and Sports Complex (Akshardham) stations. The Sports Complex station has already recorded a high of 44°C, Delhi’s hottest so far, on May 5, according to IMD data.

On Monday, Delhi logged a minimum temperature of 27.5°C, which was two degrees above normal. The highest minimum temperature, at 27.7°C, was recorded on May 10. The minimum temperature is likely to rise to up to 30°C by Friday, IMD said.

The dry and warm weather, meanwhile, saw Delhi’s air quality deteriorate to the ”poor” category, clocking a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 227 at 4pm on Monday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. The AQI was 183 (“moderate”) on Sunday.