Gusty winds in Delhi break 40°C bar, flights hit

Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 38.2°C on Wednesday, which is a degree above normal. The maximum was 40.4°C on Tuesday

New Delhi: Parts of Delhi and surrounding areas are likely to see light rain on Thursday due to a western disturbance and incoming moisture, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday.

Students out on a hot day in Chanakyapuri in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Meanwhile, temperatures dipped in the Capital by 2-3 degrees Celsius (°C) in most places on Wednesday as Delhi witnessed high clouds and gusty winds. However, rain eluded the city till late evening.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport reported gusty winds touching 50 km/hour between 3.30 am and 5.30 am on Wednesday, after which five flights were diverted to Jaipur. The IMD said that while the Capital saw an intrusion of moisture, only cloudiness was seen over Delhi, accompanied by strong winds in the early hours.

“We saw high cloud formation, instead of low clouds and rain. While conditions were favourable for rain, however, it mainly occurred in parts of Haryana and not Delhi. We also saw spells of rain further north, towards Punjab,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at the India Meteorological Department.

Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 38.2°C on Wednesday, which is a degree above normal. The maximum was 40.4°C on Tuesday.

Prior to Wednesday, Delhi had also seen four consecutive days where the mercury was above the 40-degree mark. Met officials said that even though there was no rain, the high clouds led to a slight drop in temperatures.

IMD’s forecast for Thursday shows Delhi is likely to see cloudy skies, along with chances of light rain and gusty winds.

While Delhi’s maximum is considered one which is recorded at the Safdarjung observatory, the highest maximum on Wednesday was 39.8 degrees Celsius at the Sports Complex station (Akshardham).

In terms of minimum temperature, Delhi recorded a low of 23.6 degrees Celsius, which is two degrees above normal. Delhi’s minimum was 22.5 degrees on Tuesday.

Though the IMD currently forecasts rain only on Thursday and Friday, the impact of the wet spell has been forecast to continue till next week, with the maximum temperature to remain below 40°C till April 25.

The IMD declares a heatwave in the region when the maximum temperature is over 40°C, while also being 4.5 degrees or more above normal, in at least two weather stations in the city.

So far in April, Safdarjung is yet to record heatwave conditions, but isolated stations in Delhi recorded heatwaves on both Monday and Saturday.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the poor category. Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI reading on Wednesday was recorded at 236 according to the Central Pollution Control Board. It was 235 (poor) at the same time on Tuesday.

CPCB classifies an AQI between 0-50 as “good”, 51-100 as “satisfactory”, 101-200 as “moderate”, 201-300 as “poor”, 301-400 as “very poor”, and over 400 as “severe”. Forecasts show Delhi’s AQI is likely to improve to “moderate” on Thursday.