New Delhi: The national capital for the third consecutive day continued to reel under the ongoing heatwave as it recorded a maximum temperature of 43.1 degrees Celsius on Thursday, which is the highest maximum temperature recorded in July in the city in the last 90 years. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the maximum temperature is six notches above the normal. For the plains, a heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius and at least 4.5 notches above the normal.
The minimum temperature of the city was recorded at 31.7 degrees Celsius, also four notches above the normal. The relative humidity in the evening was 29 per cent. However, a thunderstorm with rain is predicted in the city on Friday.
Delhi recorded its first heatwave of this summer on Monday with the mercury settling at 43 degrees Celsius. The national capital’s air quality was in the ‘poor’ category on Thursday evening. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board showed that the hourly air quality index (AQI) at 7.05 pm stood at 236.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.
On the other hand, the national capital’s peak power demand crossed 7,000 MW on Thursday afternoon, the highest in this season so far.
According to the real-time data of the Delhi State Load Dispatch Centre, the peak power demand reached 7,026 MW at 3.30 PM. The season’s previous peak of 6,921 MW was recorded just a day earlier on Wednesday.
This year, Delhi’s peak power demand has already crossed last year’s peak of 6,314 MW on June 30, 29, 28, 24, 23, discom officials said.
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.