Pockets in Delhi touch 40 degree Celsius, but no heatwave likely for a week

NEW DELHI: The city saw the warmest day of the year on Thursday and the weather department expects the maximum temperature to spike further. Some areas have already crossed the 40 degree Celsius mark.
According to weather analysts, the daytime temperature will continue to spike under clear skies and dry westerly winds. The minimum temperature may also rise due to cloudiness during the late night and early morning hours.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum temperature on Thursday was recorded at 38.6 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal and the highest this year, against 36.8 degrees Celsius a day earlier. The minimum temperature was recorded at 19.3 degrees Celsius, a notch below normal, against 22.1 degrees Celsius a day earlier.
Meanwhile, several areas sizzled over 40 degrees Celsius. At Najafgarh, the maximum temperature was recorded at 40.2 degrees Celsius, at Pitampura it was 40.5 degrees, at Sports Complex (Akshardham) 40.7 degrees, and it was 40 degrees Celsius at the Ridge area .
According to the weather department, the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 39 and 19 degrees Celsius respectively on Friday, and 40 and 20 degrees Celsius on Saturday. The daytime temperature may increase to 41 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
"There are no chances of a heat wave so far for at least a week. There are chances of a western disturbance on April 15, but its effect will be restricted to the hills and parts of Punjab. Though it may lead to clouding in Delhi, with a marginal effect on the temperature after April 15. For the next two days, the maximum temperature will continue to rise," said Kuldeep Srivastava, weather scientist at IMD.
The air quality in Delhi continues to be poor. The air quality index (AQI), on a scale of 0 to 500, on Thursday was 211 against 213 a day earlier. The pollution monitoring agencies expect the AQI to continue to be poor for the next two days.