New Delhi: Delhi recorded its warmest May night in nearly 14 years as the city continued to experience intense heat on Monday, with maximum temperatures surpassing 43 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Temperature Details
At Safdarjung, the city's base station, the maximum temperature settled at 43.5 degrees Celsius, which is about 3.3 degrees above normal. The minimum temperature was recorded at 32.4 degrees Celsius, a notable 5.7 degrees above the seasonal average. The IMD stated that this was the highest minimum temperature, or the warmest night in May, since May 26, 2012, when it was 32.5 degrees Celsius. Similar conditions were observed earlier this month when the minimum temperature touched 31.9 degrees Celsius on May 21, as per IMD data.
Forecast and Warnings
Weather experts indicated that light rain, high wind speeds reaching up to 70 kmph, and dust storms could be expected in parts of the city during the late evening hours. Palam recorded a maximum temperature of 44 degrees Celsius, while Lodhi Road saw 43.2 degrees Celsius. Ridge station reported 44.3 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar 44 degrees Celsius, all above normal levels.
On the minimum side, Palam recorded 30.5 degrees Celsius, Lodhi Road 30 degrees Celsius, Ridge 30.6 degrees Celsius, and Ayanagar 32 degrees Celsius, all significantly above average. An IMD official noted that warm night conditions were realized over Safdarjung, Lodi Road, and Ayanagar. The IMD defines a warm night when the maximum temperature is 40 degrees Celsius or more and the minimum temperature is 4.5 to 6.4 degrees above normal.
Outlook for Tuesday
For Tuesday, the weather department has forecast a maximum temperature of around 44 degrees Celsius and a minimum of about 30 degrees Celsius, along with a yellow alert for heatwave conditions. Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet Weather, explained that the weather disturbance will move away from the region from today, and weather conditions are expected to clear up from tomorrow. As a result, maximum temperatures are likely to rise while minimum temperatures may fall.
He added that from tomorrow until May 28, high daytime temperatures can be expected. Thereafter, another western disturbance over central Pakistan and adjoining Punjab and Haryana may trigger pre-monsoon rainfall activity again. Palawat also noted that high humidity and haze may have contributed to trapped pollutants, worsening air quality conditions. He said there is a lot of humidity and haze in the air, which could have trapped pollutants, leading to high pollution levels. These conditions are expected to reduce from tomorrow onwards, leading to lower minimum temperatures and higher maximum temperatures during the daytime.
Air Quality
Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 254 at 4 pm on Monday, placing it in the 'poor' category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). As per CPCB standards, an AQI between 0 and 50 is 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
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