Delhi temperature touches 40 degree Celsius-mark, heatwave to continue for six days

It is likely to remain at 40 degree Celsius on Friday as the heatwave continues. The minimum temperature recorded over the past 24 hours was 19.7 degree Celsius. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the heatwave is expected to continue for six more days.

On Thursday, the maximum temperature at most weather observatories in Delhi-NCR was at or above 40 degree Celsius. The weather station at the Ridge recorded a maximum temperature of 41.8 degree Celsius, higher than that at the Safdarjung observatory, while Lodhi Road recorded 40.9 degree Celsius, Palam 40.3 degree Celsius, Aya Nagar 41.4 degree Celsius, and Najafgarh 41.7 degree Celsius. Gurgaon recorded a maximum temperature of 42.3 degree Celsius on the day.

The normal maximum temperature for the April 6-10 period is 34.7 degree Celsius. This is calculated as a long period average. The normal minimum temperature for the same time is 19.8 degree Celsius.

The IMD has predicted that the heatwave over Rajasthan, southern Haryana, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh will continue for the next five days. The maximum temperature over northwest India is likely to rise by around two degree Celsius, the forecast indicates.

Meanwhile, the air quality in Delhi remained in the ‘poor’ category on Thursday, with an AQI of 264. With moderate wind speed, the AQI is likely to remain within the ‘poor’ category between April 8 and 10, according to the SAFAR forecasting system. Particles of size larger than PM2.5 and dust were the prominent pollutants on Thursday, the forecast shows.