Light rains likely with strong surface winds in Delhi

Delhi is likely to receive a drizzle with partly cloudy skies on Wednesday, a day after recording April’s highest maximum temperature so far.

The national capital also experienced strong surface winds.

The capital is bracing itself for a prolonged dry spell that is expected to drive temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius at isolated places in the city over the coming week, India Meteorological Department said.

The Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi’s primary weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 22.1 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal.

The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 37 degrees Celsius. The city had recorded a maximum of 36.8 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, the highest this summer season so far.

The IMD has predicted above-normal maximum temperatures and more-than-usual heat wave days in northwest India from April to June.

“Dry weather is predicted in Delhi for at least a week. Maximum temperatures are likely to touch the 38-degrees Celsius mark by April 15-16 in the absence of any Western Disturbance,” Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD’s regional forecasting centre, said.

The meteorologist said the maximum may hit the 40-degree Celsius mark at isolated places in the capital by April 16-17, but a “heat wave is unlikely”.

A heat wave is declared if the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, at least 37 degrees Celsius in coastal areas and at least 30 degrees Celsius in hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 degrees Celsius.

In 2022, Delhi recorded its second hottest April since 1951 with a monthly average maximum temperature of 40.2 degrees Celsius.

The city saw nine heat wave days in April last year, including four in the first 10 days, which was the maximum in the month since 2010.

It had recorded a high of 43.5 degrees Celsius on April 28 and April 29 last year. This was the highest maximum temperature on an April day in Delhi in 12 years.

Delhi logged six heat wave spells in the summer season last year, the deadliest being in mid-May when the maximum temperature soared to 49 degrees Celsius at some places.

India logged its hottest February in 2023 since record-keeping began in 1901, according to the IMD.

However, above normal rainfall (37.6 mm against a normal of 29.9 mm) due to seven Western Disturbances, including five strong ones, kept temperatures in check in March.

March 2022 was the warmest ever and the third driest in 121 years. The year also saw the country’s third warmest April since 1901.

(With PTI inputs)