Light rain likely in Delhi; mercury may touch 39°C

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 28.8 degrees Celsius on Sunday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting light rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms later in the day.

The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 39 degrees Celsius, a day after the mercury touched 40.2 degrees Celsius, 1.6 notches above normal, amid hot and humid conditions in the national capital.

According to the IMD, Delhi is likely to witness a generally cloudy sky with thunderstorms and rain on Sunday. The weather office had also forecast very light rain accompanied by thunderstorms in isolated parts of the city during Saturday night.

The city continues to await the arrival of the southwest monsoon, which is now expected in the first week of July instead of its usual onset date around June 27. Weather experts have attributed the delay to the absence of favourable weather systems that typically help the monsoon advance towards northwest India.

Relative humidity was recorded at 57 per cent at 8.30 am on Sunday.

The air quality remained in the ‘moderate’ category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 140 recorded at 9 am, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

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