Delhi swelters at 48°C ‘real feel’; patchy rain, high humidity to persist through weekend

Delhi’s maximum temperature settled at 35.4°C, a degree above normal. However, high humidity — ranging between 71% and 97% — combined with sunshine pushed the Heat Index (or “real feel”) to 48°C at 2.30pm

It was a warm and humid day in the capital on Thursday, with moderate showers reported in isolated pockets of north and northwest Delhi. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast similar sultry conditions over the weekend, with patchy light rain likely till Sunday.

Tourists walk past the Red Fort under overcast skies after a spell of rain on Thursday. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

Delhi’s maximum temperature settled at 35.4°C, a degree above normal. However, high humidity — ranging between 71% and 97% — combined with sunshine pushed the Heat Index (or “real feel”) to 48°C at 2.30pm. It was still at 44.6°C at 5.30pm, IMD data showed.

No rainfall was recorded at Safdarjung, the city’s base weather station, between 8.30am and 5.30pm. However, Pitampura in northwest Delhi logged 26.5mm of rain, while Ridge in north Delhi recorded 37.8mm.

“Isolated pockets, mainly in north and northwest Delhi, saw localised intense showers with moderate rainfall. In most areas, skies were partly cloudy but there was no rain. Humidity will remain high till the weekend, with light rain at a few places,” an IMD official said.

This August has already seen excess rainfall, logging over 100mm above normal with four days still left in the month. Delhi has recorded 336.4mm so far, compared to the normal of 233.1mm. Last year, the city received 390.3mm of rain in August.

For the coming days, IMD has forecast the maximum temperature to hover between 33°C and 35°C, while the minimum will be 23°C to 25°C.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality slipped into the ‘moderate’ category. The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was 120 on Thursday, up from 71 (‘satisfactory’) a day earlier.