NEW DELHI: The maximum temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's base station, rose to 41.4 degrees Celsius on Wednesday and is predicted to touch the 43-degree mark on May 12 as moisture-carrying easterly winds make way for hot and dry westerlies.
The minimum temperature settled at 28 degrees Celsius, three notches more than normal. The automatic weather station in Najafgarh recorded a maximum temperature of 43.3 degrees Celsius.
Jafarpur and Mungeshpur recorded a high of 42.7 degrees Celsius.
A fresh heatwave spell was predicted over Delhi from Sunday, but easterly winds prevailing in the national capital under the impact of Cyclone Asani shielded the city against it.
The heatwave spell from Friday may see the mercury soaring to 44 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Easterly winds prevailing in the region under the impact of Cyclone Asani kept the mercury in check.
"Without the easterly winds, temperatures would have leaped to 46-47 degrees Celsius," said Mahesh Palawat, Vice President (Meteorology and Climate Change), Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency.
Easterly winds will make way for hot and dry westerly winds by Thursday which will push the mercury up, he said. Back-to-back patchy rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds had provided some respite from the intense heat last week.
Delhi had witnessed a hot and dry March, gauging nil rainfall against the normal of 15.9 mm. It got 0.3 mm of rainfall in April against a monthly average of 12.2 mm.
A heatwave at the month-end had sent the mercury soaring to 46 and 47 degrees Celsius in several parts of Delhi.