With the recent wet spells ending and clear skies returning to Delhi-NCR, the maximum temperature is set to rise. No rainfall is expected over the next seven days, going by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast for the national capital. While the maximum temperature on Wednesday is likely to settle at around 32 degree Celsius, it is set to rise to around 34 degree Celsius by April 9. Similarly, the minimum temperature which was around 15.9 degree Celsius early on Wednesday is likely to rise to 19 degree Celsius by April 11, the IMD forecast indicates. A string of days when the temperatures were below normal owing to cloudy skies and thunderstorms is set to end. An IMD bulletin issued on Wednesday said that maximum temperatures have been below normal by 2 to 4 degrees over most parts of north India. “It is likely to rise by 3 to 5 degrees over most parts of north India becoming near to above normal during the next five days,” the bulletin read. So far this month, Delhi has recorded 19.6 mm of rainfall, which is 444 per cent above the normal or a little more than five times the normal of 3.6 mm till April 5. The city recorded excess rainfall in March as well on account of multiple western disturbances that affected northwest India. From March 1 to April 4, most parts of Northwest India recorded excess rainfall. This includes Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan. Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh have recorded deficits in rainfall over the same period, according to data from IMD. In a forecast issued for the summer ahead, IMD had warned last week that above-normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country from April to June, with a higher-than-normal number of heatwave days expected over the Northwest, Central, and Eastern India over this period.
