New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) Residents of the national capital had a tough time Thursday as the city recorded the maximum temperature of the season so far, at 38.4 degrees Celsius.

Though many people remained indoors, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the temperature was quite normal.

"It's normal summer temperature. The national capital would experience clear sky and the mercury would increase a couple of degrees further till Saturday evening," said a weatherman.

On Thursday, Delhi experienced a maximum of 38.4 degrees (two degrees above normal) and a minimum of 22 degrees Celsius (three degrees above normal). On Wednesday, the city had recorded a maximum of 38.3 degrees Celsius.

Residents feared that the current rise is just an indicator of an impending tough summer.

"It's just the second week of April and the mercury has almost reached 40 degrees. What is going to happen in May?" asked Rajiv Sarkar, a resident.

"With police peeling off the black tinted glasses, it's going to be a tough time for people commuting in cars as well," he said, adding that he has taken three glasses of sugarcane juice to beat the heat.

Rajkumar Tokas, a sugarcane juice vendor in south Delhi, said: "The sale has already gone up by almost 50 percent. Earlier, I used to sell 60 glasses of juice a day but in the last two days I have sold 85 glasses a day".