After storm comes the calm, mercury to hit 40°C by Friday

IMD officials said that while the temperature on Wednesday was normal for this time of the year, the maximum could touch 40°C by Friday. They also predicted isolated spells of rain across Delhi-NCR on Friday

Delhi recorded a warm and sunny Wednesday with surface winds of 25-30kmph — a day after an intense dust storm and thunderstorms coupled with rains hit the city — recording a maximum temperature of 37.5°C ahead of an anticipated spike in the next two days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The maximum temperature on Wednesday was 37.5°C. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

IMD officials said that while the temperature on Wednesday was normal for this time of the year, the maximum could touch 40°C by Friday. They also predicted isolated spells of rain across Delhi-NCR on Friday.

“A gradual rise in temperature is expected in the next few days, with it likely to return close to 40°C by Friday. This is largely because Delhi will see clear skies over the next two days. We may see some moisture intrusion, which, coupled with high temperature, might lead to a drizzle in isolated parts. However, this is not likely to impact temperature significantly,” an IMD official said.

Delhi logged a minimum temperature of 19°C on Wednesday, down from 22.6°C a day earlier and four degrees below normal for this time of the year.

So far, the highest temperature the Capital clocked is 39.4°C, on April 19.

This year, Delhi is yet to cross the 40°C mark, which it normally tends to do between the second and third week of April. Delhi’s maximum had crossed 40°C by this time last year, logging 40.5°C on April 15. In 2022, this happened on April 7 (40°C) and in 2021, it crossed the mark on April 13 (40.2°C), according to IMD data.

Delhi’s air quality continued to be ‘moderate’, with the air quality index (AQI) improving marginally on Wednesday, from 188 on Tuesday to 178 on Wednesday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. PM 10 (particulate matter with diameter less than 10 microns), a sign of high dust concentration in the air, was the day’s prominent pollutant.