Mercury in Delhi hits season's highest at 42 degrees Celsius

New Delhi, May 7 (PTI) The capital recorded a temperature of 42 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, the highest maximum temperature so far this summer season, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

This was the highest maximum temperature recorded, three notches above the normal. The previous hottest day was May 6, with a maximum temperature of 41.1 degrees Celsius, according to data from the IMD.

Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist and head of the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, told PTI that according to the weekly forecast, the temperature will be around 42 degrees Celsius, and as a result, no heatwave conditions will be applied in the capital.

He also mentioned the weather will likely be similar to the last year and added there will be a chance of light drizzling on May 11 and 12.

During the second week of May in 2023, the capital experienced a high temperature of 42 degrees Celsius and there was no heatwave during the last summer season, according to the weather department.

The relative humidity oscillated between 24 per cent and 71 per cent during the day.

The weather office has forecast partly cloudy skies for Wednesday, with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to settle at 41 and 24 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital was recorded in the "very poor" category with a reading of 302, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

An AQI between 0-50 is considered "good", 51-100 "satisfactory", 101-200 "moderate", 201-300 "poor", 301-400 "very poor" and 401-500 "severe". An AQI above 500 falls in the "severe plus" category. PTI