Short-lived respite: Delhi's temperature up to 40.6°C

Weather experts said that while gusty winds on Thursday may marginally regulate the temperature, keeping it between 39°C and 40°C, heatwave conditions are likely to return to the city from April 17.

The marginal respite from the Capital’s oppressive weather was short-lived, as the maximum temperature in Delhi ticked past the 40 degree Celsius (°C) mark once again on Wednesday.

Weather experts predict that a heatwave will envelope Delhi once again from Sunday.  (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

Weather experts said that while gusty winds on Thursday may marginally regulate the temperature, keeping it between 39°C and 40°C, heatwave conditions are likely to return to the city from April 17.

Safdarjung, Delhi’s base station, recorded a maximum temperature of 40.6°C on Wednesday – five degrees above normal for this time of the year. However, the Ridge station was the city’s hottest, clocking a high of 41.5°C, followed by the Yamuna Sports Complex (41.4°C).

A heatwave, however, could be declared in Delhi if a similar maximum temperature prevails on Thursday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

For the IMD to declare a heatwave, the maximum temperature should be 40°C or higher, with the maximum being 4.5 degrees above normal, for two straight days. “While most stations currently fulfil the heatwave criteria, we generally wait for the second day to declare it. We are closely monitoring the expected wind speed and if it is between 20 and 30 km/hr, then the temperature should be around 39°C and maybe even lower. However, if the winds aren’t strong enough, then the maximum could be close to 40°C,” said RK Jenamani, scientist at IMD, adding that while a western disturbance did bring rain to west Rajasthan and parts of Punjab, Delhi only saw cloudy conditions in a few parts.

The IMD expects the maximum temperature to hover between 39°C and 40°C on Friday and Saturday as well, forecasting a high of 41°C from Sunday onwards.

Delhi crossed the 40°C mark for the first time this year last Thursday.

It rose to 41.6°C on Friday and 42.4°C on Saturday, before falling marginally to 41.8°C on Sunday. On Monday, it was at its highest so far this year, at 42.6°C.

This streak was snapped on Tuesday, when the day got cooler by nearly three degrees, with the mercury dropping to 39.5°C. The normal mark for April 6-10 is 34.7°C, while it is 36.1°C between April 11 and 15.