Coolest April in Delhi comes to end Monday

New Delhi, April 30 (IANS) Monday saw a fitting end to the coolest April in past few years in Delhi with the maximum temperature staying two notches below the normal at 36.9 degrees Celsius for this time of the year. The minimum temperature dipped even further to three notches below normal to 20.9 degrees Celsius.

The maximum and minimum humidity recorded Monday was 54 and 25 percent, respectively.

"This April has been more pleasant than usual, experiencing light rain or thunderstorms. The unusually pleasant weather for the month of April is because of western disturbances," R.K. Jenamani, director of the India Meteorological Department (IGI Airport), told IANS.

Western disturbance is a meteorological term referring to a succession of fast-moving air currents from the Mediterranean region that bring sudden rain and snow to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent.

"Western disturbances at this time are not unusual but these ones have certainly moved at unusual speeds. Usually, the national capital gets dust storms and light rain two or three times in April. But this time, we have seen this for seven to eight times. This pattern is likely to continue till the first week of May," Jenamani added.

"This April, the maximum temperature went to 38.7 degrees Celsius, whereas during the last four years, the maximum temperatures during the month of April shot up to 41 degrees Celsius in 2011, 44 in 2010, 43 in 2009 and 41 in 2008," an official from the India Meteorological Department told IANS.

"The sky is expected to remain partly cloudy Tuesday, with the maximum and minimum temperature reaching 38 and 22 degrees Celsius, respectively," the IMD official said.

Sunday's maximum temperature was a notch below average at 37.1 degree Celsius, while the minimum temperature was four notches below average at 20.7 degrees Celsius.