Hold your breath, 40-plus roasting could end on Friday with rain

New Delhi: A day after negligible improvement, the city saw isolated heatwave conditions on Sunday. A rainy respite could come on Friday, though.

By late Sunday evening, some areas saw a dust intrusion from Pakistan, which came via Rajasthan and Haryana, Met officials said. This may impact the air quality which till late Sunday afternoon was poor, but by 10 pm was moderate.

India Meteorological Department has forecast light to very light rain and gusty winds on Monday afternoon and evening as well. This won’t be enough to provide a breather from the scorching heat. The peak temperature will still be about 43-45 degrees Celsius.

The sky will “become partly cloudy towards the afternoon. Heatwave conditions will continue at isolated places. Strong winds reaching 20-30 kmph, occasionally gusting to 40 kmph during the day,” IMD said. The light rain, accompanied with thunderstorms, lighting, dust storms and strong surface winds of 40-50kmph. occasionally even at 60kmoh, is expected in the afternoon and evening.

On Sunday, Safdarjung recorded a maximum of 43.6 degrees Celsius. Lodhi Road recorded 43.8 degrees Celsius, Palam 43.7, Ridge and Ayanagar 44.6 degrees and Mungeshur logged 44.5 degrees Celsius.

A heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature crosses 40°C and is also at least 4.5 degrees above the normal. The day’s conditions are also classified as a heatwave if temperatures exceed 45°C in the plains.

The Met has given a yellow alert for heatwave and thunderstorms on Monday, and heatwave conditions with around 43-45 degrees till Wednesday. On Thursday, some respite may come in the form of light rain. On Friday and Saturday, the maximum temperature could drop to 35-37 degree Celsius with rain and thunderstorms.

“The western disturbance as a cyclonic circulation over Jammu & neighbourhood at 3.1 km above the mean sea level persists. A fresh western disturbance likely to affect northwest India from May 28.... Rise in maximum temperatures by 1-2°C during the next 24 hours, no large change till May 27, and fall by 6-8°C thereafter,” the Met said. .

The city’s AQI on Sunday, was 205 or poor.