After cool May, brace for warm week ahead in Delhi

Similarly, the minimum temperature, which was 22.7 degrees early on Saturday, also four degrees below the normal, is set to increase to around 26 degrees by June 9, the forecast indicates.

The week ahead is set to remain dry with mostly clear skies, going by the IMD forecast. An IMD bulletin issued on Saturday said that the maximum temperature over the plains of northwest India is likely to rise by four to six degrees over the next five days.

After Delhi recorded excess rainfall in the pre-monsoon season from March to May due to multiple western disturbances affecting the region, the IMD forecast for the month of June, issued last week, had said that most parts of the country, including parts of northwest India, are likely to see below normal rainfall in June. The month of June could also be warm over northwest India, with maximum temperatures likely to remain above normal, going by the forecast.

The IMD forecast had said that the southwest monsoon is likely to hit Kerala on June 4, a little later than its normal onset date of June 1.

In its bulletin on Saturday morning, the IMD said that the southwest monsoon has advanced into some more parts of the South Arabian Sea, some parts of the Lakshadweep area, and some parts of the southern and east-central Bay of Bengal.

The normal amount of rainfall in Delhi in June is around 74.1 mm, based on a long-period average.

Meanwhile, when an AQI of 121 was recorded on Saturday, ozone was identified as a prominent pollutant in Delhi by the Central Pollution Control Board with sunny days making a comeback. Ozone is formed when oxides of nitrogen from vehicular and other emissions, and volatile organic compounds react in the presence of sunlight.