New Delhi, July 16: The maximum temperature in the national capital on Friday settled at 37.8 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season's normal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. It predicted heavy rainfall at isolated places over Delhi on July 18. The minimum temperature recorded at the Safdarjung Observatory, considered the official reading of the city, was 27 degrees Celsius and the relative humidity at 5.30 pm was 56 percent, it said.

The weatherman also predicted partly cloudy sky with light rain or thundershowers for Saturday, while the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 37 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature is expected to be around 28 degrees Celsius. The city received its first rain of the monsoon season on Tuesday, 16 days after the usual date of June 27.  Monsoon 2021 Forecast For North India: Rainfall Activity to Increase Over Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Other Parts till July 20.

On Thursday, the minimum temperature in the national capital settled at 23.4 degrees Celsius, four notches below the season's normal, while the maximum temperature was 36.6 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's normal.