Early summer tightens its grip over capital

New Delhi: Delhiites continued to reel under intense heat conditions as the maximum temperature settled at 35.6 degrees Celsius, seven degrees above normal, on Sunday at Safdarjung, which is the city's base station. It rose further to 38.9 degrees Celsius, 10 notches above normal, at Ridge Observatory in north Delhi.The mercury at Safdarjung was 35.7 degrees Celsius on Saturday, marking the earliest time in at least 15 years that the mercury crossed the 35 degrees Celsius mark, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data available since 2011. No respite is expected in the coming days, with daytime temperatures expected to remain 5–6 degrees Celsius above normal through the week.
According to IMD, the mercury may rise further to around 37–39 degrees Celsius by March 11. However, a slight dip of around 1–2 degrees Celsius may happen thereafter. "Persistent clear skies have been driving temperatures higher in the capital. Delhi has largely witnessed dry conditions since the last spell of intense rainfall towards the end of Jan. Feb saw only two instances of very light showers. In the absence of an active western disturbance affecting the region, the city consistently experienced clear skies, leading to a steady rise in the mercury," said a Met official, adding that a gradual increase in the mercury is expected over the next few days. The minimum temperature on Sunday was recorded at 16.7 degrees Celsius, three degrees above normal and slightly lower than Saturday's minimum of 17.4 degrees Celsius. Forecasts indicate that nights will remain relatively warm, with minimum temperatures likely to stay between 15 degrees Celsius and 18 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, Delhi's air quality remained in the ‘poor' category, with the average AQI of 247 on Sunday.