Unrelenting heat has captured Delhi for the 2nd successive day with mercury overshooting 40°C mark, over most parts. Base station Safdarjung also inches toward 40°C, but still short at 39.3°C. Club of 40°C has expanded further and Narela remains on top with 41.7°C, huge 10°C above the normal. Rest of the locations also reel with severe heat wave by scaling maximum temperatures 7-8°C more than the average.
Continuous dry spell over the national capital for the month of March has trapped enough heat. Accordingly, the 2nd fortnight is competing to be one of the hottest in the recent past. Day temperatures have persistently remained above the pentad normal and that too with a margin of >/== 5°C throughout this period. At the fag end of the month, mean maximum temperature is massive 4°C above the normal, staying at 33°C against the monthly normal of 29.6°C.
Meteorologically, there is dry cyclonic circulation over Punjab, Haryana and Delhi region in the lower levels of the atmosphere. This is suppressing the speed of breeze which earlier had mitigated the heat factor. With clear skies, light surface wind and hot Sun, the mercury will continue to soar breaching 40°C at many places, today and tomorrow as well. Weakening and shifting of this feature may build up the winds and provide marginal relief on the 1st two days of April. Extreme heat will return again immediately thereafter. Heat wave conditions in almost all pockets of Delhi and severe one in few of them, will last for nearly next 7 days. There is hardly any chance of rain providing relief and not even significant cloud cover to block the piercing hot radiations.
