By Aakanksha Khajuria

New Delhi, May 7 (IANS): The India Meteorological Department on Thursday said that the temperature in the national capital did not shoot up much in the sweltering month of April and May as a result of the incumbent western disturbance but added that the mercury will touch 40 degrees in ensuing two-three days.

"Rainfall and thunderstorm in the Northwest region are due to western disturbance. As a result of this, temperature has remained below the normal mark. The mercury is, however, on the rise now and will cross 40 degrees on May 9-10," said Kuldeep Srivastava, Head of IMD's North-West Meteorological Center.

Mahesh Palawat, Vice president Meteorology and climate Change at Skymet Weather also echoed similar predictions and added that the heat wave conditions will come around in the third week of May when the temperature will rise over 45 degrees.

Scientist Kuldeep Srivastava went on to say that western disturbance could have some effect on the arrival of monsoon but since there is a lot of time between that, nothing can be said concretely.

He speculated, "The monsoon will arrive in four plus and minus days of its scheduled arrival in the respective states."

India will likely have a normal monsoon, with a chance of 'above normal' rain in August and September, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted last month. This year, the monsoon will hit the national capital on June 27 as against June 23.

Mahesh Palawat also reverberated IMD's predictions and said that western disturbance will not have much effect on the monsoon in Northern India.

Western disturbance usually comes in from October till March and subsides in April and shifts towards upper latitudes. That is why March and April were cool and temperature in the month of May also remain normal.

"Slowly, western disturbance's intensity will subside, and it will shift towards the Northwest. Though there will still be rain showers, its effect will be less," he added.