Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Mercury touches 42.2 deg C; hotter days ahead

NEW DELHI: Much before schools break for summer holidays and families plan vacations to cooler climes, the capital is already scorching under
extreme heat. The maximum temperature on Tuesday climbed to the season's highest of 42.2 degrees celsius, four degrees above normal, with hot winds sweeping through the city keeping most people indoors.

There seems to be no respite in sight. The weatherman predicts even hotter days ahead, with the mercury expected to touch 43 degrees in the next two days, thanks to dry westerly winds coming in from Rajasthan. And this is just the beginning of what threatens to be a long hot summer.

Tuesday was the warmest April 28 in the past five years, both in terms of the maximum and minimum temperatures. The minimum temperature was 26.6 degrees Celsius, three degrees above normal. ``A western disturbance is passing over Jammu and Kashmir and its warm front is leading to warming in this area. Westerlies blowing from Rajasthan are also causing the temperature to rise. Within a day or so, Delhi can also expect the hot loo,'' said a Met department official.

Normally crowded places like India Gate and Central Park were deserted for most part of the day as people preferred to remain indoors. ``I knew this could be the hottest day of the season the minute I stepped out. I felt totally parched and dehydrated. The sun was relentless and a hot dusty wind blowing in the afternoon just made the situation worse,'' said Anita Vohra, an architect.

Said Vinod Datta, a professional working in CP: ``I had to meet a client in Gurgaon but the heat was so terrible that I called in sick. There was no way I was going to drive all the way in this weather.''

Year...............Maximum........Minimum
2004:...............37..................26
2005:...............37..................21
2006:...............42..................25
2007:...............41..................23
2008:...............40..................22
2009................42.2................26.6

1 comment: