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Wet-bulb temp stays high, light rain forecast till 30th
Delhi on Monday recorded a maximum temperature of 40.4°C, two degrees above normal and an increase from 39.8°C on Sunday and 39.4°C on Saturday.
New Delhi: Some parts of Delhi received light rain on Monday, even as high humidity levels left the national capital grappling with another hot and sultry day, when the maximum temperature tipped past the 40°C after two days.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast similar conditions for the rest of the month, with sharper spells of rain on June 29 and 30, with the maximum temperature then likely to dip 36°C. However, IMD did not specify when the monsoon is likely to hit the city.
Delhi on Monday recorded a maximum temperature of 40.4°C, two degrees above normal and an increase from 39.8°C on Sunday and 39.4°C on Saturday. The heat index, or real feel temperature, meanwhile remained 53°C.
Damp conditions, punctuated by occasional spells of light rain, will continue for the next few days, said IMD.
“We will continue to see isolated light rain till the end of the month now, with humidity remaining high. During this period, Delhi is also likely to see gusty winds of up to 40km/hr,” an IMD official, requesting anonymity, said.
The relative humidity on Monday remained between 45% and 73% over the past 24 hours, making for uncomfortable outdoor conditions.
Delhi’s wet-bulb temperature, another indicator of the comfort level outside, was recorded at 29.7°C on Monday. The wet-bulb temperature was 30°C on Sunday, which was the highest so far this year.
A higher wet-bulb temperature makes it more difficult to stay outside and work. A wet-bulb temperature of 32°C or higher makes it difficult for even fit and acclimatised people to work outdoors for long. At a value of 35°C — the highest reading on the scale — the human body can no longer regulate temperatures, leading to heatstrokes and collapse.
In its daily monsoon bulletin, issued at 5pm on Monday, IMD said conditions were favourable for the southwest monsoon to advance into “Gujarat, into more parts of Madhya Pradesh, remaining parts of Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar; and some more parts of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand,” in the next three to four days.
But experts said the monsoon onset may well set in over Delhi by June 29 or 30.
“We expect an increase in rain intensity from June 28 and the onset may well occur in the next two days,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet meteorology.
The normal onset date of the southwest monsoon over Delhi is June 27, indicating the monsoon is slightly delayed for the Capital this time around.
According to IMD data, the Safdarjung weather station recorded 0.6mm of rainfall till 8.30am on Monday.
At Palam, 6.9mm of rainfall was recorded till 8.30am, with 0.2mm in the next nine hours.
Delhi’s minimum temperature, was recorded at 31.4°C, which was four degrees above normal and up from 29.6°C recorded a day earlier.
