New Delhi will continue to reel under severe heatwave conditions with the maximum temperature likely to touch the 40-degree mark on Wednesday, 6 April, and hit 40 degree Celsius by the weekend, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
As per IMD's predictions, the national capital will see no respite from the heatwave for at least one week.
Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 39.6 degree Celsius on 30 March, making it the highest of this season so far, according to the Safdarjung Observatory, which is considered the official marker for the city.
The temperature is also about six degrees above normal.
Several parts of the city witnessed temperatures soaring to 40 degree Celsius in the past week. IMD officials attributed the hot weather to the lack of rainfall in northwest India.
The IMD said that the heatwave spell was likely to continue over most parts of northwest India and Madhya Pradesh during the next five days.
However, it added, "Heavy rainfall spell likely over Arunachal Pradesh during next 5 days; over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal-Sikkim during 6-8 April and over Assam-Meghalaya during 8-10 April."
The IMD had predicted on 1 April that heatwave conditions were likely in some parts over Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan during the next five days, and over Himachal Pradesh, south Haryana-Delhi, southwest Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand from 8-9 April.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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