Delhi reels under scorching heat

The national capital reeled under scorching heat on Tuesday, with the mercury crossing the 40 degree-mark for the first time this season.

The Safdarjung observatory, the recording of which is considered the official figure for the city, registered a maximum temperature of 40.3 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's average, said a Meteorological (MeT) Department official.

The Palam observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 42.5 degrees, while areas under Lodhi Road, Ridge and Ayanagar recorded 42.5, 40.8, 42.7 and 41 degrees Celsius respectively.

The humidity oscillated between 77 and 26 per cent.

The MeT office has forecast partly cloudy skies for Wednesday.

"The maximum and the minimum temperatures are likely to hover at around 41 and 23 degrees Celsius," the weatherman said.

"The mercury is expected to touch 41 degrees by tomorrow as we foresee no thunderstorm activity and rains over the northern plains till April 25," B P Yadav, the head of the IMD's Regional Meteorological Centre, said.

On Monday, the maximum and the minimum temperatures settled at 38.5 and 22 degrees Celsius respectively.