The national capital reeled under heat wave conditions Monday, with the mercury breaching the 43-degree Celsius mark in some parts of the city, officials said.
The Weatherman said rain activity is likely to begin from Tuesday onwards.
Moisture-laden easterly winds will trigger rains in the city in the next three to four days, the weatherman said.
"Delayed onset of the easterly winds led to scant rainfall in June. We have them now and pre-monsoon rain activity is likely till July 4," an official said.
On Monday, the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides official figures for the city, recorded a high of 41.6 degrees Celsius, five notches more than normal and and a low of 30.6 degrees Celsius. Humidity levels oscillated between 37 and 59 per cent.
The weather stations at Palam, Ayanagar, and Jafarpur recorded the maximum temperature at 43.4, 43.8 and 43.2 degrees Celsius respectively.
Kuldeep Srivastava, senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department, said a heat wave is declared if the temperature is five degrees more than normal or the mercury touches the 45-degree Celsius mark for two consecutive days.
However, for smaller areas like the national capital, a heat wave is declared if similar conditions persist even for a day, he said.
The weatherman has predicted a generally cloudy sky and very light rains on Tuesday. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 39 and 30 degrees Celsius.
Recording just 6.6 mm rainfall against the normal of 64.1 mm, Delhi witnessed its second driest June in 26 years.
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