New Delhi: The city finally received some much-needed relief from extreme heat late on Thursday evening, while Friday remained cloudy with comparatively cooler winds under the influence of a lingering western disturbance.The maximum temperature dropped by about 5 degrees Celsius over the past 24 hours. While no heatwave conditions were observed on Thursday, Delhi had witnessed intense heat a day earlier on Wednesday, May 27, when peak temperatures touched 45.6 degrees Celsius at Ridge, 44.4 degrees at Ayanagar and 44.3 degrees at Safdarjung. Overall, the city recorded a drop of 7.5 to 9.4 degrees Celsius in maximum temperatures between Wednesday and Friday.“The maximum temperature is likely to fall by 5-6 degrees Celsius till May 30, followed by a gradual rise of 6-7 degrees Celsius over the subsequent five days,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.Delhi has experienced two heatwave spells so far this summer. Parts of the city reeled under three consecutive heatwave days from April 23 to 25, though Safdarjung recorded just one heatwave day on April 25 when the mercury climbed to 42.8 degrees Celsius. Another heatwave spell was recorded from May 18 to 21 in some areas, while Safdarjung again logged only one heatwave day on May 19, when the maximum temperature touched 45.1 degrees Celsius.On Friday, the maximum temperature at Safdarjung was recorded at 36.8 degrees Celsius, four notches below normal, compared with 41.1 degrees Celsius a day earlier. The feel-like temperature, however, remained high at 39.5 degrees Celsius around noon due to humidity. Even so, Friday was the coolest day in the past 21 days, with a lower temperature last recorded on May 8.The IMD has issued a yellow alert for rain with strong winds for Saturday and Sunday. The respite from extreme heat is expected to continue for the next two to three days.Meanwhile, improved weather conditions also led to better air quality. “Delhi’s daily average AQI improved from 207 on May 28 to 123 on May 29,” stated the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), revoking GRAP-I.
