Rain brings relief from scorching heat in Punjab, Haryana

Delhi experienced a scorching day, with the 'feels like' temperature reaching 48.4 degrees Celsius despite a maximum temperature of 41.3 degrees Celsius on Saturday. The minimum temperature at Safdarjung was 30.8 degrees Celsius, which was 2.9 degrees above normal. Trace rainfall occurred in parts of the city, and the IMD has issued a yellow alert for rain and thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday. Notwithstanding predictions of rainfall and thunderstorms over the weekend falling flat, Delhi recorded one of the sultriest days of this summer as it clocked a heat index or “real feel” temperature of 51.3 degrees Celsius (°C) and a peak wet-bulb temperature of 29.77°C, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The humidity levels were between 35% and 63% on the day, and are set to remain high, experts said, predicting muggy days to continue. They said that the city’s humidity Delhi experienced far more intense heat than the actual temperature suggested on Saturday, with the heat index, or "feels like" temperature, soaring to 48.4 degrees Celsius while the maximum temperature reached 41.3 degrees Celsius, according to PTI . The Safdarjung weather station, the city's primary observatory, recorded a minimum temperature of 30.8 degrees Celsius. This was 2.9 degrees above the seasonal average and 2.1 degrees higher than the previous day's minimum. The day's maximum temperature settled at 41.3 degrees Celsius, With the southwest monsoon still showing no signs of entering northwest India, Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana have once again slipped into heatwave conditions, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a yellow alert for Sunday and Monday even as the next significant spell of rain is expected only towards the end of the coming week. The latest IMD bulletin indicates that after several days of isolated pre-monsoon thunderstorms and largely ineffective weather alerts, dry weather has tightened its grip