Hot days ahead: Mercury likely to touch 40 degrees Celsius today

Delhiites have been very lucky this year,with temperatures rising very gradually. Last year,the city had witnessed 40 degrees Celsius in the very first week of April. It also witnessed one of the hottest summers in the last decade,with temperatures touching 43.7 degrees Celsius.

But as the mercury touches 40 degrees Celsius,the Capital is coming close to witnessing a heat wave,with temperatures rising five or more degrees beyond normal. The normal temperature,at present,is 37 degrees Celsius. The Met department,on Sunday,predicted that the temperature will touch 42 degree Celsius next week.

“Delhi is characterised by its extreme weather. Though there is no indication of a heat wave at present,one should not be surprised if it happens sometime soon,” said a Met official. He added that the weather will remain dry next week,with the Capital witnessing cloud cover only on a couple of days.

The minimum temperature,which was one degree below normal on Sunday morning,will also witness a rise. From 21.8 degrees on Sunday,it is expected to touch 24 degrees on Thursday.

The weather in April this year has been the coolest in the last 10 years. Around this time last year,the temperature had soared to 43.7 degrees Celsius. The temperature was 43.5 degrees on April 30,2009. The all-time record for the highest temperature in April was in 1941,when it peaked at 45.6 degrees Celsius.

On Sunday,Barmer in Rajasthan registered the highest temperature in Northwest India at 42.6 degrees Celsius.