Delhi weather today: Partly cloudy skies, mercury to hit 39 degrees

The IMD has indicated that there is likely to be a gradual rise in maximum temperatures over northwest and central India by two to three degrees over the next four to five days. It said in an update on Thursday that a fresh spell of heatwave conditions could set in over northwest India from May 7, and over central India from May 8.

The minimum temperature recorded over the past 24 hours was 24.2 degrees Celsius, a degree below the long period average. The presence of a western disturbance – which brought rainfall to Delhi on Wednesday, along with cloudy skies and strong winds – brought the maximum temperature down. The relative humidity at 8.30 am on Friday was 61%, while the temperature at the same time was 29.8 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature could also increase over the next few days to reach 29 degrees Celsius by May 12, going by the forecast.

Meanwhile, the air quality in Delhi improved to be in the ‘moderate’ category on Thursday, with an AQI of 146, breaking a long spell of ‘poor’ air days. The rainfall that the city witnessed on Wednesday suppressed dust, leading to the improvement, according to an update issued by the Air Quality Early Warning System on Thursday. The AQI is set to be in the ‘poor’ to ‘moderate’ category on Friday and is likely to return to the ‘poor’ category on Saturday. “Long-range transported dust from the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East will impact air quality over parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the NCR,” according to the forecast issued on Thursday.