Delhi temperature set to rise in coming days: IMD

Delhi is not likely to see any rain until possibly on May 13, when temperatures might reach 40°C in some parts of Delhi

The temperature, as expected, has begun to inch up and the Capital recorded 37.3°C on Monday, with dry and sunny conditions set to persist and the days becoming warmer till at least the weekend.

Tourists shield themselves from the sun at India Gate in New Delhi on Monday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

There was some scant amount of rain in some parts of Delhi due to a cyclonic circulation over Haryana, but the impact was negligible.

“Delhi is not likely to see any rain in the coming days, with the next chance of rain only on May 13, when light showers are possible. We will have dry weather until May 12, with temperatures reaching 40°C in some parts of Delhi,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at the India Meteorological Department.

The peak reading of 37.3°C at Safdarjung station, which represents the official reading for Delhi’s weather, was still two notches below what is typical for this time of the year. The highest maximum (day) temperature in the Capital on Monday was 38.3°C at the Najafgarh station.

In Gurugram, the maximum was logged at 36.7°C, while in Noida, it was 36.4°C.

On Tuesday, the day temperature in Delhi is expected to reach 38°C and 39°C by Friday, according to the weather office.

The minimum (night) temperature in Delhi was 20.8°C, which was four notches below normal. On Sunday, the night temperature was 21.4°C.

Forecasts indicate that with no rain expected in the next few days, the minimum temperature will rise to 23°C by the end of the week.

Lodhi Road and Narela were the only Delhi stations to record rain until 5.30pm on Monday, with ‘trace’ and 0.5mm of precipitation, respectively.

So far this month, Delhi has received 50.8mm of rain, which is already more than the monthly average of 30.7mm.

Delhi received 47.7mm of rain in May of this year, compared to 144.8mm in 2021. The all-time May rainfall record is 165mm, which was observed in 2008.

Rain and strong winds in the previous 48 hours improved Delhi’s air quality even more on Monday. According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) daily national bulletin at 4pm, the 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was 131 (moderate). On Sunday, it was 173 (moderate).

Forecasts indicate that AQI will remain in the moderate range until Wednesday before falling into the poor category on Thursday.

CPCB considers AQI between 0 and 50 to be “good”, 51 to 100 to be “satisfactory”, 101 to 200 to be “moderate”, 201 to 300 to be “poor”, 301 to 400 to be “very poor”, and over 400 to be “severe”.