Delhi has respite from intense heat, mercury drops 4 degrees

With a drop of four degrees Celsius in temperature, the weather office on Tuesday forecast relief from scorching heat for Delhi and the national capital region. The temperature is likely to drop further for four days due to "western disturbance", it added.

"Due to the western disturbance, the sky would remain cloudy, due to which light rains and thundershowers are likely to occur in some areas of Delhi," an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official told IANS.

The western disturbance is an extra-tropical storm system, originating in the Mediterranean, which brings sudden rain towards the north-western parts of the Indian subcontinent. It has an effect on India, Pakistan and Nepal.

Delhi experienced a fall in temperature from 44 degrees Celsius on Monday to 39.6 degrees Celcius on Tuesday.

According to the weather office, the intense heat and high temperature already started dropping from Tuesday onwards and this would continue for the next four days. After that the temperature would remain stable for some more time.

"The western disturbance has good impact on Delhi region but the south Indian states like Telangana and Kerala would not get respite, at least not as per the predictions," an IMD official said.

Monday's maximum temperature settled at 44 degrees Celsius, five notches above the season's average, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 23.8 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's average.

On Tuesday, the situation stabilised with time, as the minimum temperature recorded at the beginning of day was 30 degrees Celsius due to the Monday effect. However, the maximum temperature remained up to 40 degrees Celsius at some places in the city.

--IANS

kd/sd/vt