Mercury set to rise from Tuesday

While the maximum and minimum temperatures recorded on Monday were lesser than the season’s average temperatures, the weather department has warned of a rise in

While the maximum and minimum temperatures recorded on Monday were lesser than the season’s average temperatures, the weather department has warned of a rise in mercury levels from Tuesday.

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According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), with western disturbances subsiding—a phenomenon that causes rains and thundery development in the Delhi and NCR—the mercury is set to rise and reach up to 40 degree Celsius by the weekend.

Monday’s maximum temperature was recorded at 33.8 degrees Celsius, five notches below the season’s average,similar to that of Sunday. The minimum temperature on Monday was recorded at 18.9 degrees Celsius, five notches below the season’s average, against 23.8 degrees Celsius on Sunday. The Met department also recorded 0.4 mm rainfall over past 24 hours in different regions of the city.

On Tuesday, the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to increase to 36 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees Celsius, respectively.

“The mercury is set to rise from now on. With onset of May, the maximum temperatures may rise to 40 degrees in the first week and 45 degrees by the second week with occasional heatwaves. The weather activities like western disturbances will subside now,” said Mahesh Palawat, director, private weather forecast agency, Skymet.

He added that there is another western disturbance on Thursday (April 30) which could bring a slight relief from the rising heat, however, it would not have much impact on the maximum temperatures the following day.

Meanwhile, the weather analysts said due to the back-to-back western disturbances, March and April so far have been cooler by at least a degree compared to the mean temperature of the past 30 days.

“Till date, the average mean temperature for April 2020 is 35.3 degrees Celsius, while for the past 30 years mean average was 36.3 degrees. For March 2020 as well, the average maximum was 28.4 degrees Celsius, while the mean temperature for March for past 30 years was 29.6 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperatures have been cooler than a degree and the reason is back-to-back western disturbances. The rains had been patchy, but they helped control the overall temperatures of the entire region,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head, regional weather forecast centre, IMD.