Temperatures set to rise in Delhi, but heat wave unlikely for next few days

PTI

New Delhi, June 7

Delhi is predicted to record a gradual rise in maximum temperatures, but a heat wave is unlikely in the next four to five days, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The capital's primary weather station, Safdarjung Observatory, recorded a minimum temperature of 25.2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, two notches below normal.

The maximum temperature is predicted to settle around 39 degrees Celsius. June started on a cooler note in Delhi with back-to-back western disturbances resulting in intermittent rains. The maximum temperature has remained well below the 40-degree mark this month so far.

According to the IMD, the Safdarjung Observatory has not recorded a heat wave this year. This has happened for the first time since 2014.

Meteorologists attributed the excess rain and below-normal temperatures this pre-monsoon season (March to May) to higher-than-usual western disturbances -- weather systems that originate in the Mediterranean region and bring unseasonal rain to northwest India.

However, this doesn't mean that there will be no heat waves going ahead. With the monsoon onset over Kerala already delayed and meteorologists anticipating a sluggish progress beyond the southern peninsula due to Cyclone Biparjoy, temperatures over many parts of the country, including the national capital, are likely to remain above normal for a longer-than-usual period.

The IMD had last month predicted normal to below normal monsoon in northwest India which means more drier and hotter days.

Delhi recorded its coolest May in 36 years with excess rain bringing the average maximum temperature down to 36.8 degrees Celsius this time, according to the IMD.