With 'feels like' temp at 45.8 degrees C and high humidity, Delhi awaits good rain

New Delhi: A day after cool and cloudy weather, the city faced a humid day under clear skies. The heat index, or "feels like" temperature, soared to 45.8 degrees Celsius at 4 pm. Despite the monsoon's arrival, the city has yet to receive substantial rainfall, with the IMD predicting only light showers for the rest of the week.

On Tuesday, Delhi recorded patchy, very light rainfall. Safdarjung logged 0.3 mm till 5.30 pm. Other stations reported minimal rain: Palam (0.4 mm), Ridge (0.2 mm), Ayanagar (0.2 mm), Mungeshpur (0.5 mm), and Mayur Vihar (0.5 mm).

"The monsoon trough at mean sea level continues through Sri Ganganagar, Rohtak, Kanpur, Varanasi, a low-pressure area over Jharkhand and its surroundings, Digha, and southeastwards into the Bay of Bengal. It extends up to 0.9 km above mean sea level," said Mahesh Palawat, vice chairperson, Climate Change and Meteorology, Skymet.

The maximum temperature rose significantly on Tuesday. At Safdarjung, it reached 35.1 degrees Celsius —nearly 5 degrees Celsius higher than the previous day, but still two notches below normal. The minimum temperature was 25.2 degrees Celsius, slightly above Monday's 24 degrees Celsius. Humidity ranged from 98% to 64%, with winds blowing at 6 km/h from the northeast.

Wednesday's maximum temperature is expected to remain between 33 degrees Celsius and 35 degrees Celsius. The air quality remained satisfactory, with the AQI recorded at 83, slightly higher than Monday's 65—both within the "satisfactory" category on the 0–500 scale.

The southwest monsoon reached Delhi and parts of India a day earlier than expected, bringing light rain and drizzle on Sunday. For the 2025 season, the IMD forecasts normal rainfall in Delhi, within the 92–108% range of the long-period average. Rainfall within 19% excess or deficient of this range is considered normal.

In 2024, Delhi recorded 516.9 mm of monsoon rainfall, which ended on Sept 29— about half of what was recorded during the monsoon in 2023.