Mercury relents, but yellow alert extended till today

Panaji: After many days of unrelenting heat in the city, the mercury dropped to almost normal on Friday, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Panaji, recorded a maximum temperature of 34.2 degrees celsius, just 1.5 degrees above normal.
IMD, however, has extended the yellow alert for heat wave-like conditions till March 15.
On Thursday, the maximum temperature recorded in the city was 35.4 C—2.7 degrees above normal.
In Mormugao too, the day temperature decreased by a degree to 35.2 degrees C, just 3.3 degrees above normal. The previous day, on Thursday, the maximum temperature in the port town was 36.2 degrees C, 4.3 degrees above normal.
The relative humidity recorded was 73 per cent in Panaji and 90 per cent in Mormugao, 8 per cent and 11 per cent above normal on Friday.
Sea breezes setting out in the fore and afternoon have been mitigating the heat in the city, though the mercury remains high in hinterland areas.
The weather department has forecast that maximum temperatures between 34 and 36 degrees C, as well as dry conditions for the next couple of days.
Heatwave-like conditions are likely to prevail in isolated pockets, and shallow fog too.
The minimum temperature, however, rose to 26 degrees C in Panaji and Mormugao on Friday, about three degrees above normal. A day earlier, it was identically 24.6 degrees C at both places—0.7 degrees above normal.