New Delhi: With Delhi reeling under high humidity and sweltering humidity for a week, the weather department has predicted that monsoon would the national capital either on Thursday or Friday. From Wednesday evening onwards, thundershowers and light rain would lash Delhi, PTI reported.
On Wednesday morning, the Safdarjung Observatory recorded a minimum temperature of 28.8 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature is predicted to settle at 41 degrees Celsius. On Tuesday, the Safdarjung Observatory had logged a maximum temperature of 41.5 degrees Celsius but the heat index (HI) or "real feel" was recorded at 53 degrees.
The heat index (HI) is what the temperature "feels like" to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature.
The wet-bulb temperature also jumped to 33.7 degrees, the highest so far this year. Humans can handle a wet-bulb temperature of 35 degrees. Beyond this, the human body can no longer effectively cool itself through perspiration.
Wet-bulb temperature is the lowest possible temperature that can be reached through evaporation of water in any given air condition. It takes into account temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle, and cloud cover etc. and is considered the best metric to calculate and monitor heat stress on the human body.
The IMD has issued an orange alert, warning of moderate rainfall in the city on June 30. The maximum temperature will come down to 33-34 degrees Celsius by July 1. The southwest monsoon usually arrives in the national capital on June 27.
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Senior IMD Scientist R K Jenamani told PTI that there was a prediction of good rainfall in the city on June 30 and the arrival of monsoon could be declared on Thursday or Friday.
"Pre-monsoon convection may lead to light rainfall in the national capital on Wednesday evening and provide relief from the heat," PTI quoted Jenamani as saying.
Last year, monsoon reached the national capital on July 13, making it the most delayed in 19 years. The monsoon had entered a "break" phase and there was virtually no progress from June 20 to July 8.
When asked about the delay in the arrival of the monsoon in Delhi, the senior scientist said a gap of around five days was considered normal.
"However, we did not see any major weather system developing in the Bay of Bengal (which could have pushed the monsoon forward). This year, it has mainly been a wind-driven monsoon," PTI quoted Jenamani as saying.
Weather experts have said the monsoon is expected to yield good rainfall in Delhi in the first 10 days and help cover the rain deficit.
Since June 1, Delhi has received just 24.5 mm of rainfall against the normal of 66.7 mm. All of it came between June 16 and June 20.