New Delhi: After days of relentless heat and scorching temperatures, light rain and cloudy skies on Saturday morning brought temporary relief to residents of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). The sudden change in weather brought smiles to many faces as parts of the city witnessed dust storms, gusty winds, and intermittent rainfall, offering a short respite from the prevailing heatwave conditions.
Delhi is currently experiencing highly unstable pre-monsoon weather conditions, marked by strong winds, dust storms, and scattered showers across several areas. The abrupt weather shift comes after an extended spell of intense heat that had turned the national Capital into a virtual furnace over the past week.
Many residents expressed relief following the rainfall.
Speaking to IANS, a taxi driver said that until Friday, the extreme heat had affected not only him but also the performance of his vehicle. Another auto-rickshaw driver shared that the unbearable temperatures had made daily work extremely difficult, but Saturday’s cooler weather brought some comfort.
Despite the brief spell of rain, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘Orange Alert’ for Delhi and adjoining NCR areas, warning that severe heatwave conditions are likely to continue until May 27. According to the weather department, maximum temperatures in several parts of the city may reach up to 46 degrees Celsius over the coming days.
The IMD has also warned of stormy rainfall activity across 13 states, while heavy rainfall is expected in northeastern and southern states due to the advancing southwest monsoon.
According to the department, strong winds with speeds of up to 65 kilometres per hour are likely to prevail in many regions during this period. Heavy rainfall warnings have been issued for northeastern states, along with Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.
The IMD stated that over the next three to four days, the southwest monsoon is expected to advance further into the southeast Arabian Sea, southwest and southeast Bay of Bengal, remaining parts of the Andaman Sea, and additional areas of the east-central Bay of Bengal. This advancement is expected to trigger widespread rainfall activity across southern and northeastern parts of the country.
The Meteorological Department has forecast that severe heat conditions are likely to persist over the next several days. Temperatures in Delhi are expected to remain between 45 and 47 degrees Celsius in some areas, while wind speeds could reach up to 35 kilometres per hour. The ‘Orange Alert’ for heatwave conditions remains in force until May 27.
On Wednesday, the maximum temperature recorded at Safdarjung, Delhi’s primary weather station, stood at 44.5 degrees Celsius, which was 4.1 degrees above the seasonal average. Although the reading was marginally lower by 0.6 degrees Celsius compared to the previous day, the city continued to experience oppressive heat conditions.
According to IMD data, temperatures in Delhi have risen sharply over the past ten days. On May 11, the maximum temperature at Safdarjung was recorded at 37.5 degrees Celsius. By May 19, it had surged to 45.1 degrees Celsius. On May 20, the temperature remained extremely high at 44.5 degrees Celsius, reflecting an increase of more than seven degrees within just ten days.
The IMD noted that despite temperatures hovering between 43 and 44 degrees Celsius, Delhi has not yet officially entered the “heatwave” category under its technical criteria.
On Friday, the maximum temperature recorded at the Safdarjung observatory was 43.3 degrees Celsius, which was 3.1 degrees above normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 29.3 degrees Celsius, 2.6 degrees above the seasonal average.
Other weather stations across the capital also recorded high temperatures. Lodhi Road registered 43.4 degrees Celsius, Aya Nagar recorded 43.5 degrees, Palam reported 43.2 degrees, while the Ridge area recorded the highest temperature at 44.4 degrees Celsius.
