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New Delhi: Delhi witnessed heatwave-like conditions at isolated places on Sunday with the heat index (HI) or “real feel” temperature crossing 50°C again. The city also saw a dust storm in the evening.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the city is likely to see a relief from heat from Thursday, when the maximum temperature is likely to be recorded between 34°C to 36°C and may decline further to 33°C to 35°C on Friday.
The HI, which indicates how hot it feels after combining air temperature and relative humidity, remained high throughout the day as humidity ranged between 37% and 70%. It was recorded 49.1°C at 11:30pm, 50°C at 2:30 pm and 50.7°C at 5:30pm.
Delhi also saw high wet-bulb temperatures of 28.1°C at 2:30 pm and 29.5°C at 5:30 pm.The wet bulb temperature is the lowest temperature that can be achieved through evaporative cooling against the actual temperature.
A wet-bulb temperature of 32°C or higher makes prolonged outdoor work difficult, while at 35°C a human body can no longer regulate temperature, leading to heatstrokes and collapse.
Safdarjung, city’s base temperature for weather, recorded a maximum temperature of 41.8°C, 4.6°C higher than normal. Lodi Road was the only other station meeting the IMD’s criteria, with maximum temperature of 42.1°C, 5.1°C higher than normal. The minimum temperature stood at 31.1°C, 3.2°C higher than normal.
The IMD declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature exceeds 40°C and is at least 4.5°C above the normal, or when it touches 45°C at atleast two weather stations for two consecutive days. A severe heatwave is declared when the temperature is 6.5°C or more above the normal.
Delhi also saw strong winds on Sunday, with Palam recording winds of 70kmph at 5:25 pm, followed by Pusa’s reading of 56kmph at 6:00 pm. The highest wind speed recorded at the Safdarjung station was 32kmph at 5:33 pm.
Mahesh Palawat, vice president of Skymet Weather said, “Southwesterly winds from the Arabian Sea are bringing moisture to northwestern India, increasing humidity levels. The feels-like temperature has remained high due to increased humidity and high temperature.”
According to IMD, the maximum temperature is likely to remain between 40°C to 42°C on Tuesday, before gradually falling between 33°C to 35°C on Friday. The minimum is also expected to reach 22°C to 24°C by Friday.
While the IMD had issued yellow and later an orange alert for rain and thunderstorms for Sunday, no rain was recorded till 5:30 pm. Rain and thunderstorms are predicted till Saturday, with yellow alert in place for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The city is experiencing delayed monsoon. While the normal onset date is June 27, weather experts expect it to arrive only after July 4. “Although the humidity is likely to remain for a few days, but by July 2 or 3, there are chances of scattered rain,” added Palawat.
The IMD said monsoon was passing through Surat, Indore, Mandla Daltonganji, and Motihari on Sunday and conditions remain favourable for it to advance to Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, parts of Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand during the next three to four days.
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