Delhi swelters through warmest July day in 2 years as ‘feel-like’ heat hits 49.6 deg C

Unusually high humidity made for an uncomfortable Monday in Delhi, pushing the “feel-like” temperature to 49.6 degrees Celsius in parts of the city.

According to the Meteorological department, Delhi continued to reel under sweltering weather conditions, with the maximum temperature settling above normal at most weather stations, even as no rainfall was recorded in the city during the day.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the national capital’s base station at Safdarjung recorded a maximum temperature of 38.6 degrees Celsius, two notches above the seasonal average. The minimum temperature was 27 degrees Celsius, 0.9 degrees below normal.

Similar to Sunday, Monday marked the warmest July day in two years, with the maximum temperature at 38.6 degrees Celsius. The last time the temperature was higher was on July 11, 2024, when it reached 38.8 degrees Celsius.

Palam registered a maximum temperature of 38.5 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees above normal, while the minimum settled at 26 degrees Celsius, 2.2 notches below the average.

Lodhi Road recorded a high of 38.3 degrees Celsius, 3.3 degrees above normal – the highest positive departure among the city’s major weather stations. Its minimum temperature stood at 27.8 degrees Celsius, 0.8 degrees above normal.

The Ridge station recorded a maximum temperature of 38.1 degrees Celsius, 1.9 notches above normal, while the minimum was 24 degrees Celsius, 2.4 degrees below normal.

At Ayanagar, the maximum temperature settled at 37.7 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees above normal, and the minimum was recorded at 27.4 degrees Celsius, 0.7 degrees above normal.

The IMD said no rainfall was recorded at any of the five major observatories between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Monday.

Safdarjung received 6.4 mm of rainfall during the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am, followed by 16.4 mm at Palam, 11.1 mm at Ridge, 8.2 mm at Ayanagar and 1.6 mm at Lodhi Road. However, the city remained dry through the day after the morning observations.

The maximum and minimum temperatures for Tuesday are expected to settle at 36 and 27 degrees Celsius, respectively, with IMD issuing a ‘yellow alert’ predicting moderate rain and generally cloudy skies in parts of the city.

The capital’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded in the ‘satisfactory’ category on Saturday, and the 24-hour average AQI stood at 94 at 4 pm, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

According to CPCB standards, an AQI of 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’.