Delhi temperature could touch 44 degrees by Tuesday, warns weather department

Even though a dust brought down the mercury by a few notches on Saturday, the day temperature could soar to 44 degrees Celsius by Tuesday, scientists at the India Meteorological Department have warned.

“A clear sky and lack of moisture in the air would cause the mercury to shoot up sharply over the next few days. It could touch 44 degrees by Tuesday. There is hardly any chance of respite from the scorching heat over the next one week,” said a senior official of the regional weather forecasting centre (RWFC) in New Delhi.

On Saturday, the maximum temperature was recorded at 41.4 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal. The minimum temperature was 26.4 degrees Celsius, normal during this time of the year.

The highest day temperature Delhi has witnessed in this season so far was 42.8 degrees Celsius on May 11.

The IMD had forecast that a thunderstorm accompanied by light rain could hit Delhi on Friday night or on Saturday.

Delhi, however, received a feeble dust storm, which reached a maximum speed of 56 km per hour. Satellite towns like Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad received traces of rain.

“Traces of rain in the outskirts and a dust storm in the city that lasted only for a few minutes, however, helped to bring down the temperature in Delhi by around seven degrees. The temperature just before the storm stood at 41.2 degrees Celsius. It dropped to 34.4 degrees soon after the storm passed,” said an official.

Saturday’s dust storm and traces of rain in NCR towns was triggered by a cyclonic circulation over Rajasthan that had shifted eastwards.

“A western disturbance that had affected mostly the hilly regions helped to form a cyclonic circulation over Rajasthan. Easterly winds also brought in some moisture. The intense heat, moisture laden winds and a cyclonic circulation helped to trigger some rain in the NCR districts,” said the RWFC official.

“The maximum temperature had shot up to 45.7 on May 24, 2013. It was the highest temperature Delhi has witnessed in the month of May in the past one decade. The highest May temperature ever recorded in Delhi was in the year 1944 when the mercury shot up to 47.2 degrees Celsius,” said an IMD official.