1 week Ago By Akanksha Gupta
Gurgaon: After a brief respite from the scorching heat, the city is bracing for a fresh heat wave beginning April 15. Over the past two days, a dust storm followed by light rain caused a dip in temperatures, briefly arresting the rising mercury. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the daytime temperatures may climb by three to five degrees Celsius starting Monday, paving the way for a heat wave spell by mid-week.
On Saturday, the minimum temperature dropped to 19.3°C — down from 22.2°C on Friday — bringing it close to the seasonal normal.
The drop was largely due to rain on Friday evening, which measured 3 mm by Saturday morning, according to IMD. The maximum temperature also dipped slightly, settling at 32.6°C — three degrees below the normal.
It was 33.1°C on Friday. "Gurgaon and several parts of Haryana saw isolated rainfall, gusty winds, and thunderstorms due to a Western Disturbance and a lower-level circulation.
This slowed the temperature rise for a couple of days," said an IMD official. The city has already seen a preview of what's coming. On April 9, the mercury shot up to 39.
9°C — the hottest day of the season so far. And while the daytime heat took a brief dip, night temperatures have remained unusually high, ranging from 22°C to 25°C — around 3 to 6 degrees above normal. "Cloud cover, warm easterly winds, and urban heat effects are behind the elevated nighttime temperatures," the IMD official added.
For Sunday, the forecast predicts mostly sunny skies, with temperatures expected to hover between 21°C and 37°C. Delhi is expected to witness a rise in temperature as well. Earlier, Delhi experienced a heatwave for three consecutive days from April 7 to 9, with temperatures at Safdarjung, the city's base station, staying above 40 degrees Celsius.
Parts of the city remained under heatwave conditions on April 10, with residents experiencing warm nights for two straight days. Relief came on Thursday evening with rain and gusty winds, followed by a severe thunderstorm on Friday evening that kept temperatures in check on Saturday. The maximum temperature on Saturday was recorded at 35.
2 degrees Celsius, one degree below normal, while the minimum temperature stood at 19 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal. IMD defines a heatwave when the maximum temperature is 4.5 degrees or more above the normal temperature, and the maximum is at least 40 degrees Celsius.
A heatwave is also considered if the maximum temperature reaches 45 degrees Celsius or above..
