New Delhi: After a day of negligible improvement, the national capital witnessed isolated heatwave conditions on Sunday, with a possible rainy respite expected by Friday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Dust Intrusion and Air Quality
By late Sunday evening, some areas experienced a dust intrusion originating from Pakistan, which traveled via Rajasthan and Haryana, Met officials reported. This influx may impact air quality, which was poor until late Sunday afternoon but improved to moderate by 10 pm.
Monday's Forecast
The IMD has forecast light to very light rain and gusty winds on Monday afternoon and evening. However, this will not provide significant relief from the scorching heat. The peak temperature is expected to remain around 43-45 degrees Celsius.
The sky is likely to become partly cloudy towards the afternoon. Heatwave conditions will persist at isolated places. Strong winds reaching 20-30 kmph, occasionally gusting to 40 kmph during the day, are predicted. Light rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, dust storms, and strong surface winds of 40-50 kmph, occasionally even at 60 kmph, is expected.
Sunday's Temperature Readings
On Sunday, Safdarjung recorded a maximum temperature of 43.6 degrees Celsius. Lodhi Road recorded 43.8 degrees Celsius, Palam 43.7, Ridge and Ayanagar 44.6 degrees, and Mungeshpur logged 44.5 degrees Celsius. A heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature crosses 40°C and is at least 4.5 degrees above the normal. Conditions are also classified as a heatwave if temperatures exceed 45°C in the plains.
Yellow Alert and Weekly Outlook
The Met department has issued a yellow alert for heatwave and thunderstorms on Monday, with heatwave conditions expected to continue around 43-45 degrees Celsius until Wednesday. On Thursday, some respite may come in the form of light rain. On Friday and Saturday, the maximum temperature could drop to 35-37 degrees Celsius, accompanied by rain and thunderstorms.
The western disturbance, currently a cyclonic circulation over Jammu and its neighborhood at 3.1 km above mean sea level, persists. A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from May 28. There will be a rise in maximum temperatures by 1-2°C during the next 24 hours, with no large change until May 27.
The city's Air Quality Index (AQI) on Sunday was recorded at 205, categorized as poor.
