Delhi records highest July temperature for this year, heavy rain forecast on July 31

New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) Delhi's maximum temperature was five notches above normal at 39.3 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, the highest for the month this year, the weather office said.

It has, however, forecast heavy rain on Wednesday.

The previous highest temperature for July this year was 38.8 degrees Celsius, recorded on July 12.

For the past few days, Delhi has been grappling with intense humidity.

The relative humidity on Tuesday oscillated between 57 per cent and 78 per cent, the weather office said in a bulletin. There was no rain during the day.

In 2023, the highest maximum temperature for July was 39.4 degrees Celsius. The highest July temperature in 2022 was 39.1 degrees Celsius while it was 43.5 degrees in 2021 and 41.6 degrees in 2020, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data.

The average maximum temperature this month has been 35.8 degrees Celsius.

The IMD has predicted generally cloudy skies with heavy rain on Wednesday and issued an 'orange' alert, denoting a "be alert" status in its colour code.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to settle at 35 and 28 degrees Celsius, respectively. PTI NSM SZM