NEW DELHI: No heatwave is predicted for the next two days in the capital, while the maximum temperature recorded dropped below the 40-degree mark on Tuesday. Thanks to the impact of the severe cyclone Asani, moisture-carrying easterly winds have prevailed over the capital since Tuesday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed on the new conditions. The Met office had earlier predicted a heatwave spell from Wednesday with temperatures soaring to 44 degrees Celsius. In a revised forecast, it said the maximum temperature will settle around 40 degrees Celsius on Wednesday and 42 degrees Celsius on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the Safdarjung observatory, Delhi’s base station, recorded a maximum temperature of 39.5 degrees Celsius, a normal for this time of the year. The minimum temperature settled at 28 degrees Celsius.
“Easterly winds prevailing in the region under the impact of Cyclone Asani are keeping the mercury in check. Though there won’t be a steep rise in temperatures in Delhi over the next few days, the increase in humidity levels can cause discomfort,” said Mahesh Palawat, Vice President (Meteorology and Climate Change), Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency.
Without the easterly winds, temperatures would have leaped to 46-47 degrees Celsius,” he said. A trough extends from western parts of Haryana to south peninsula, across east Madhya Pradesh and the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. Easterly winds are prevailing in the north of the trough and westerly in the south.
Temperatures in parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Vidarbha may jump to 46-47 degrees Celsius due to the dry and hot westerly winds, he said. Easterly winds will slow down as the effect of severe cyclone Asani dissipates over the next two days, Palawat said.