New Delhi: The national capital on Thursday sizzled under heatwave conditions with the maximum temperature settling at 43.6 degrees Celsius, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
This is the highest maximum temperature recorded in July in the city in the last 90 years. The maximum temperature was 45 degrees Celsius, which was recorded on July 1, 1931. The previous high was recorded on July 2, 2012, when the temperature soared to 43.5 degrees Celsius, reported India Today.
Meanwhile, there is no chance of Delhi and its neighbouring areas receiving monsoon rains till July 7 and after that, the region will witness below-normal rainfall till the middle of this month, the India Meteorological Department said on Thursday.
The last time monsoon arrived so late in Delhi was in 2012.
The weather department said the delay in the arrival of the wind system is likely to impact agricultural operations such as sowing and transplantation of crops, irrigation scheduling and power requirements in the region, including Punjab and Haryana - the food bowl of the country.
"Heatwave conditions are very likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi and some parts of Uttar Pradesh, north Rajasthan and northwest Madhya Pradesh till July 2," the MeT office said.
The intensity of the heatwave and its area coverage are likely to decrease thereafter due to expected south-westerly winds from the Arabian Sea. But there won't be much relief during the next seven days due to the increase in humidity, IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said.
"The monsoon has covered most of the country except parts of Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. Since June 19, no progress has been observed. Mid-latitude westerly winds, unfavourable Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and absence of a low-pressure system over North Bay of Bengal are some of the reasons," the IMD said.
"There is no chance of the monsoon covering Delhi-NCR and other parts of northwest India till July 7. Below-normal rainfall is predicted in the region till mid-July. Thereafter, the precipitation will increase. Overall, below normal to normal rainfall this month," Mohapatra said.
It is likely to impact agricultural operations such as sowing and transplantation of crops, irrigation scheduling and power requirements. However, the normal transplanting window for rice as well as the sowing of other major crops is the month of July in northwest India and central India, he said.
(With PTI inputs)