The national Capital on Saturday recorded the season’s highest temperature with the mercury soaring up to 44 degrees Celsius, giving a tough time to the people.
“The maximum temperature was recorded at 44 degrees Celsius, six notches above the normal while the minimum settled at 28.4 degrees Celsius, seven notches above normal for this time of the year,” a MeT official said. The humidity levels oscillated between 60 and 19 per cent. The readings for the maximum and minimum temperature at the Safdarjung observatory were recorded at 42 and 25 degrees Celsius, both four notches above normal.
The weatherman has predicted a partly cloudy morning for Sunday with possibility of dust storm during the evening. However, there is no forecast for rainfall in the national Capital. On Friday, the maximum and minimum temperatures settled at 42 degrees and 24 degrees Celsius.
The MET Department had predicted average to good rainfall this year, but it seems that the Capital will have to reel under hot weather conditions for a long duration.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) has, however, forecast Northwest India is likely to get some respite from the torrid heat over the next two-three days due to a fresh western disturbance but the mercury will continue to soar in Central India and other parts of the country.
IMD Director General laxman Singh Rathore said the fresh western disturbance is over North Pakistan and adjoining areas. “It will start affecting Jammu and Kashmir from April 16 evening. The effect will be there for two-three days,” he said.
A western disturbance is an extratropical storm which originates in the Mediterranean and brings sudden winter rain and snow to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent, also affecting the weather in other countries, like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
This is a non-monsoonal precipitation pattern driven by the Westerlies."Its induced cyclonic circulation is over South-Central Pakistan and adjoining West Rajasthan," Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency said.
Rathore said though its effect will be felt in hill States, there could be "some relief" in terms of temperatures in the plains of northwest India which are reeling under heatwave-like conditions and mercury is unlikely to soar any further in the next two-three days.However, heatwave conditions will continue to prevail in central India and other parts of the country.
Meanwhile, the National Zoological Park, better known as the Delhi Zoo, began its summer preparations. Officials said it will soon install water sprinklers, desert coolers and fans to help in all animal enclosures. “Ponds are also being filled with water. Pressure pumps are being used to bathe big animals like elephants, tigers and lions,” zoo curator Riyaz Khan said. He said the meat intake of carnivorous animals like tigers, panthers, jaguars and lions is reduced by 1-2 kg during summer.