Mercury over 40 degrees in Delhi, air quality falls

The national capital sizzled at 42.5 degrees, four notches above the season's average, on Friday while many regions experiencing over 44 degrees, met officials said, ruling out any respite soon.

With heat waves in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and western Rajashtan, the National Capital Region (NCR) also saw heat wave like conditions, as Palam sizzled at 44.9 degrees Celsius, six notches above the season's average.

The average temperatures of Delhi is set to rise, with Saturday likely to see 43 degrees, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The minimum temperature was recorded at 30 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's average.

The latest respite is likely around Thursday, June 28, as it may rain, said private weather forecasting agency Skymet.

"Temperatures will fall considerably only after June 28, with pre-monsoon rain showers in NCR," its director Mahesh Palawat told IANS.

On Friday, Delhi's Ridge area sizzled at 44.5 degrees, Ayanagar at 44.4 and Narela at 43.9 degrees Celsius. Gurugram and Faridabad recorded 42 degrees Celsius.

With westerly and south westerly winds in Delhi, the particle pollution is again on rise, as Delhi's air quality turned poor on Friday.

The air quality index (AQI) was 236 or poor, based on 30 monitoring stations across the national capital, with PM10 or particles with diameter lesser than 10 micron, the defining pollutant.

The humidity on Friday oscillated between 22 and 52 per cent.

Thursday's maximum temperature settled at 42 degrees, three notches above the season's average, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 30.9 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season's average.

--IANS

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