With no rainfall likely in Delhi on Thursday and Friday, the maximum temperature is set to hit 36 degrees Celsius, going by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast.
On Wednesday, the maximum temperature remained below 35 degrees Celsius at most weather stations in the city. The maximum temperature recorded on Wednesday at the Safdarjung weather observatory was 34.4 degrees Celsius, a degree above the normal. The ‘normal’ maximum temperature for August 18, calculated as a long-period average, is 33.9 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature early on Thursday was 24.6 degrees Celsius, two degrees below the normal. Relative humidity remained high on Thursday, standing at 82% at 8.30 am.
Very light or light rainfall is on the forecast for Delhi-NCR over the weekend. Overcast skies and light rainfall also remain on the forecast from August 22 to 24. The maximum temperature over the next six days is likely to range from 33 to 36 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature, usually recorded at night, could remain at around 25 or 26 degrees Celsius.
The western end of the monsoon trough is south of its normal position and is likely to remain there for the next 24 hours, before moving northwards, according to an IMD bulletin issued early on Thursday. Widespread light or moderate rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall activity is likely over Uttarakhand from August 18 to 20 and Himachal Pradesh from August 19 to 21.
Delhi’s rainfall deficit so far this month is as high as 81% at the Safdarjung weather station. Rainfall for the monsoon season so far also falls around 20% below the normal.
Intermittent rainfall and wind have kept the city’s air quality in the ‘satisfactory’ category for the past seven days. The air quality index (AQI) on Wednesday was 60. It has remained in the 60s from Monday onwards. AQI between 51 and 100 is considered ‘satisfactory’.
