Monsoon onset likely in the next 72 hours: IMD

The mercury in the national capital dipped marginally on Tuesday owning to moisture-laden easterly winds that have created favourable conditions for the onset of monsoon in the next 72 hours, officials said.

Senior scientist at the Indian Meteorological Department, Kuldeep Srivastava said very light rain is likely on Wednesday and thereafter, precipitation activity is likely to increase.

"Easterly winds have created favourable conditions for the onset of monsoon in the Delhi-NCR region. The wind system may reach the city in the next 72 hours," he said.

The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides official figures for the city, recorded a high of 39.4 degrees Celsius, three notches more than normal, and a low of 30 degrees Celsius. Humidity levels oscillated between 43 and 57 per cent.

The weather stations at Palam, Ayanagar and Jafarpur recorded the maximum temperatures at 41.4, 41 and 41.1 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Official said the sweltering conditions in Delhi pushed its peak power demand to an all-time high of 7,409 MW on Tuesday afternoon.

Power distribution companies had earlier predicted that the demand will cross 7,400 MW this summer in Delhi.