New Delhi, May 26 (PTI) Delhi recorded a minimum of 22.6 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, four notches below normal, while the maximum temperature is likely to touch the 40 degrees Celsius mark, the India Meteorological Department said.

No heat wave is predicted in the city till May end.

This is likely to be the first time since 2014 that the Safdarjung observatory did not record a heat wave in the pre-monsoon period, said Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD's regional forecasting centre.

First, frequent Western Disturbances kept the mercury in check and later Cyclone Tauktae led to “record” rains, he said.

No heat wave has been recorded even at the Palam observatory this year so far, he said.

For the plains, a "heat wave" is declared when the maximum temperature is more than 40 degrees Celsius, and at least 4.5 notches above normal.

A "severe" heat wave is declared if departure from normal temperature is more than 6.5 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD.PTI GVS

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)