india

Updated: Apr 21, 2019 04:56 IST

The maximum temperature on Saturday rose to 35 degrees Celsius from 32 degrees Celsius on Friday, and according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials, is expected to rise further to touch 37 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

However, Saturday’s day temperature was still two degrees below the normal for this time of the year.

IMD scientists predict the maximum temperature to touch 40 degrees Celsius around Tuesday. “The next four to five days will see mainly clear skies and a rise in the maximum temperature. Strong, warm surface winds are expected to blow from Monday,” said an IMD spokesperson.

The day temperature on Tuesday and Wednesday had fallen to around 29 degrees Celsius from 38 degrees Celsius on Monday due to light rains and strong winds the city received as a result of an active western disturbance.

On Saturday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 19.2 degrees Celsius, a degree less from Friday’s minimum temperature. Saturday’s minimum temperature was two degrees below the normal temperature for this time of the year, according to the IMD scientists.

The minimum temperature is expected to rise to 21 degrees Celsius on Sunday, and touch 25 degrees Celsius around Wednesday, IMD officials said.

The air quality index in Gurugram on Saturday was recorded at 138 (moderate), according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB AQI monitor at Vikas Sadan in Sector 11. Friday’s AQI too was moderate with a reading of 148. According to air quality experts in the city, the AQI is expected to worsen in the coming days due to meteorological factors such as low wind speed. The level of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 was recorded at 91 ug/m3 on Saturday.

On a scale of 0-500, AQI value between 401 and 500 is considered to be ‘severe’ level of pollution. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), such high levels of pollution can affect healthy people and seriously affect patients with lung and heart ailments.