Rain may offer some respite in Delhi today

NEW DELHI: The city continued to sizzle on Tuesday due to dry and warm weather. However, the weather department expects some respite due to rain from Wednesday onwards.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, parts of the city experienced isolated heatwaves, with the city’s average temperature continuing to be over 40 degrees Celsius.
On Tuesday, the maximum temperature at the city’s base station, Safdarjung, was recorded at 40.4 degrees Celsius, four notches below normal, against 40.6 degrees Celsius a day earlier. The minimum temperature was recorded at 22.5 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal, against 21.9 degrees a day earlier.
At 42.7 degrees Celsius, the sports complex was the warmest part of the city. Heatwaves were recorded in Pitampura (41.3 degrees) and PUSA (41.6 degrees).
According to the weather department, the city is likely to see rain with maximum intensity on Wednesday under the influence of a western disturbance. This may bring down daytime temperatures over the next few days.
“The maximum temperature is likely to drop from Wednesday onwards and may hover around 38 degrees Celsius due to the possibility of rain and thundershowers. The temperature will further drop on Thursday to 37 degrees,” said an official at IMD.
Meanwhile, the city’s air quality continues to be poor. The air quality index (AQI), on a scale of 0 to 500, was 235 on Tuesday. According to pollution monitoring agencies, the air quality is likely to remain poor on Wednesday but will improve on Thursday.