Delhi weather: Relief from heatwave likely next week; rain and thunderstorms forecast

NEW DELHI: Despite relief from heatwaves, the city continued to suffer extreme heat on Saturday, with a feel-like temperature or heat index of 51.8 degrees Celsius due to high humidity and above-normal temperatures. The weather department forecasts thunderstorms and rain in the coming week. On Saturday, the maximum temperature at base station Safdarjung was 41.8 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal, against 41.2 a day earlier. The humidity oscillated between 43% and 72%. The winds were calm.While the maximum temperatures saw a slight drop, the clear sky and high humidity made the weather unpleasant. Mungeshpur in northwest Delhi turned out to be the warmest at 43.3 degrees Celsius. Among other areas, Aya Nagar recorded 42.2 degrees Celsius, Palam 42, Ridge 41.9 and Lodhi Road 41 degrees Celsius.The weather department predicted a thunderstorm, rain and gusty winds towards late Saturday night. No such weather conditions were recorded till late evening.While no colour-coded warning has been issued for Sunday, the weather department expects rain and thunderstorms, with a slight drop in the maximum temperature over the next week. Weather experts indicate that over the next week, the city could experience severe weather conditions, including powerful squally winds. The maximum temperature on Sunday is expected to be 39-41 degrees Celsius. It may, however, drop to 36-38 degrees Celsius by Monday. "A trough line thus developed from northwest Rajasthan to peninsular India, facilitating moisture transport. This is likely to cause thunderstorms and rain in the region," said an IMD official.Meanwhile, the city's AQI on Saturday averaged at 156.