Mercury may rise for next three days in Delhi, monsoon on track

NEW DELHI: The daytime temperature in Delhi increased by two degrees on Tuesday even as the city recorded 0.7 mm rainfall.
According to the weather department, the national capital is likely to see a brief break in the pre-monsoon showers from Wednesday onwards. The sky is likely to be partly cloudy over the next three days with the possibility of strong winds.The rain may return from June 27.
While Safdarjung, the city’s base station, received 0.7mm rainfall on Tuesday (till 5.30pm), Lodhi Road 0.2mm, Ayanagar 12 mm, Pusa 2.5mm and Mayur Vihar 0.5mm. Palam witnessed only traces of rain.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), on Tuesday, the maximum temperature at Safdarjung was recorded at 34.5 degrees Celsius as against 32.8 degrees Celsius a day earlier. The minimum temperature was recorded at 24.9 degrees Celsius compared with 23.6 degrees Celsius on Monday. The humidity levels oscillated between 54% and 84%.
The maximum and minimum temperatures on Wednesday are likely to hover around 36 and 25 degrees Celsius, respectively.
“From Wednesday onwards, the sky is likely to be clearer with less cloud cover and wind will have a westerly component leading to drop in rainfall and increase in the maximum temperatures over the next three-four days. The onset of monsoon is normal, currently the south-west monsoon is around Bihar and parts of Jharkhand and is expected to arrive in Delhi during its normal expected window of June 27-29,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-chairman, meteorology and climate change, Skymet.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality deteriorated slightly on Tuesday but still remained in the ‘moderate’ category. The air quality index (AQI) was 128 compared with 124 a day earlier.
“AQI today indicates ‘lower end of moderate’ air quality with PM10 as the primary pollutant. Dust contributes 58% to PM10. For the next 3 days (22nd, 23rd, 24th), peak wind speed is likely to be 15-20 km/h causing moderate dispersion and AQI is likely to be within ‘moderate’ or ‘upper end of satisfactory’,” said a statement from SAFAR.