Delhi Continues To Reel Under Sultry Weather Conditions

In the absence of rainfall, Delhi continued to reel under sultry weather conditions on Friday with the maximum temperature settling at 37.2 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature in the national capital stood at 26.4 degrees Celsius -- one notch below normal, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) showed.

Delhi and other parts of northwest India have not seen much rainfall over the last few days as the monsoon trough continues to be over the central parts of the country.

The relative humidity in the capital oscillated between 87 per cent and 50 per cent throughout the day. The weather office had predicted cloudy skies and light rainfall during the day. According to IMD, Saturday will be generally cloudy with little possibility for light rain.

"The minimum and maximum temperature on Saturday are likely to be 27 degrees celsius and 37 degrees Celsius," an IMD official said, adding, "There would be generally cloudy sky and very light rain and thundershowers towards the afternoon." 

The trough will shift towards the north for a brief period and may lead to light to moderate rainfall in Delhi and other areas from Saturday onwards. "Only marginal relief is expected," said Mahesh Palawat, vice president (meteorology and climate change), Skymet Weather.

Thereafter, the trough is likely to weaken due to the development of a cyclonic circulation over the northwest Bay of Bengal which is predicted to intensify into a low-pressure area, he said. 

Models show that this low-pressure area is likely to move northwestwards across Uttar Pradesh, pulling the monsoon trough towards it, resulting in a fresh spell of rainfall in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Palawat added.

-With PTI Input