In Delhi, heatwave conditions likely today, maximum temperature may settle at 43 degrees Celsius

The minimum temperature recorded early on Thursday was 23 degrees Celsius in Delhi. On Wednesday, the maximum temperature at the Safdarjung weather observatory was 41.5 degrees Celsius, three degrees above the normal for this time of the year. The weather station at the Sports Complex in East Delhi recorded the highest maximum temperature in the city on Wednesday at 44.2 degrees Celsius. This was followed by Mungeshpur which recorded 44.1 degrees, Najafgarh which witnessed 43.7 degrees, and the Ridge with 43.6 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature in Gurgaon stood at 44 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.

The maximum temperature is set to rise by two degrees Celsius over Northwest India during the next two days, and then fall by two degrees after that, going by the IMD forecast. The maximum temperature in Delhi could rise to around 44 degrees Celsius on Friday, and then fall to 41 degrees by May 4, the forecast indicates.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded on Wednesday was 287, in the ‘poor’ category, having deteriorated from 209 the previous day. The 24-hour average AQI was in the ‘very poor’ category at some monitoring stations at 9 am on Thursday. At Jahangirpuri, the AQI was 344, while it was 302 at Chandni Chowk, and 356 at Anand Vihar. AQI between 301 and 400 is considered to be ‘very poor’. The predominant pollutants are PM10 and dust, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System.