As Delhi continues to suffer due to heatwave conditions, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that the maximum temperature is expected to soar to around 44 degrees Celsius, with dust-raising winds likely to sweep the national capital today.
After recording a maximum temperature of 43.4 degree Celsius on Monday, the city woke up to a warm Tuesday morning, with the weather department predicting heatwave conditions for the day. On Monday, the minimum temperature settled at 27.8 degrees Celsius, which was 0.2 degrees below the season's average, the IMD said.
The real-feel temperature or heat index shot up to a scorching 48.9 degrees Celsius on Monday, prompting the IMD to issue an orange alert for the next two days. The weather department has also warned people to stay cautious and take steps to protect themselves from the ongoing heatwave.
"Today’s the maximum temperature likely to be in the range of 43-45°C, which are appreciably above normal by 3 to 5 degrees. Due to this heatwave conditions are likely to continue till June 11," IMD's daily weather forecast noted.
The IMD forecast for Delhi on June 11 says that the city's maximum temperature will be around 44 degrees, while the minimum temperature will be 29 degrees. On June 12-14, the IMD has forecast thunderstorm with rain in the capital, which is likely to bring respite from the scorching heat as the mercury is predicted to drop to 38 degrees Celsius. The weather department has further forecastrain and thundershowers on June 15, followed by partly cloudy sky on June 16.
While the relative humidity stood at 39 per cent at 8:30 AM today, the air quality in the city was recorded in the poor category at 9:00 AM, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 218.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.