Delhi weather: Mercury set to rise, more rain unlikely

NEW DELHI: Brace for hotter days as India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the maximum temperature is likely to rise to 34 degrees Celsius by the weekend. It is unlikely to rain in the next few days.
The city received rain early on Tuesday, and in some parts, it was accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning around 4am. Safdarjung, the city’s base station, logged 16.3mm rainfall till 8.30am, while Jafarpur and SPS Mayur Vihar received 9 and 8mm, respectively. The maximum temperature was 31.3 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal, and the minimum was at 16.3 degrees.
As the city has been witnessing rain and cloudy skies, the temperature has been hovering around 28-31 degrees Celsius for the past few days. “As the influence of a western disturbance is over, there would be clear skies, leading to a gradual rise in temperature,” said a Met official.
The IMD forecast says the maximum and minimum temperatures will be around 32 and 16 degrees Celsius, respectively, on Wednesday. However, the day temperature is predicted to rise to 33 degrees Celsius on Friday and 34 degrees on Sunday. The highest day temperature in this season was recorded on March 16 at 34.3 degrees Celsius.
Rain, meanwhile, cleaned air as the overall air quality index (AQI) improved to 109 (moderate) on Tuesday. According to Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the forecasting body, AQI is likely to remain moderate till Friday and may be moderate to poor in the subsequent six days.