Delhi was hit by scorching heat on Tuesday again, with the temperature rising to 53.5 degrees Celsius at 5.30 pm. While the actual temperatures across the city remained at around 40-41 degrees Celsius at major stations, the dry winds coming from Pakistan and the humidity coming from the Arabian Sea made it look much worse.
This is why Delhi bakes
Experts said, according to news agency PTI, that the intense heat is caused by dry westerly winds from Pakistan, which keep temperatures high, while southwesterly winds from the Arabian Sea also reach Delhi and increase the humidity.
According to Skymet’s Mahesh Palawat, the interaction between these dry and moist air masses leads to cloud formation, but there is not enough moisture for widespread precipitation.
By the time clouds form, usually around 4 or 5 p.m., the maximum temperature for the day has already been recorded, causing the actual temperature and the “felt” temperature to remain unusually high.
According to IMD readings, Safdarjung recorded 40.5 degrees Celsius, while the temperature in Palam reached 41.0 degrees Celsius, the temperature in Lodhi Road reached 40.1 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar also recorded 40.1 degrees Celsius. Ridge Station was the hottest at 41.5°C, and temperatures ranged between 2-4.8° above normal across stations.
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Despite the oppressive conditions, no heatwave occurred over Delhi, the IMD said.
“As per the data received so far, the heatwave criteria are met only at one station over Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi division. No heatwave has been achieved over Delhi today as we need at least two stations over Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi division to meet the heatwave criteria,” the IMD said.
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Rain was observed in parts of the city
The Meteorological Department also recorded scattered rain in several locations. Till 8.30 am, Safdarjung, Palam, Lodhi Road and Ayanagar reported little rain, while the Ridge remained dry.
Between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm, only little rain was reported in Palam and Ayanagar, with no rain in Safdarjung, Lodhi Road and Ridge.
(With inputs from PTI)
