Light Showers Bring Respite From Heat To Delhi, National Capital Region

Bringing temporary relief from the humid weather, light rain showers lashed several parts of Delhi on Monday morning. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert in the early hours followed by a red alert just an hour later. The red alert, which is the highest level of weather warning, issued for most of Delhi implies severely disruptive weather as parts of the city are expected to see very light to light rainfall during the day, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds reaching speeds of 60 to 70 kmph, with gusts up to 80 kmph, in the afternoon and evening.

An IMD statement, issued at 8:20 am, said that intensive convective cloud mass was moving southeastwards across Haryana's Rohtak which will likely impact most of Delhi. The alert was thus issued for southeast Delhi, east Delhi, central Delhi, northeast Delhi, south Delhi, southwest Delhi, west Delhi, northwest Delhi, north Delhi, New Delhi and Shahdara.

Between 5:30am and 8:30am, Palam recorded the highest rainfall at 1.3 mm, followed by Chattarpur (1 mm), Pitampura, and Pusa (0.5 mm), Ayanagar (0.6 mm). No other weather station recorded rainfall until 8:30 am on Monday.

The IMD has forecast light rainfall with thunderstorms at Bawana, Rajouri Garden, Patel Nagar, Safdarjung, Lodi Road, Buddha Jayanti Park, President House, Rajeev Chowk, ITO, Kalkaji, Tughlakabad, and Haryana's Rohtak, Kharkhoda, and Palwal. The thunderstorms are likely to carry on till Tuesday afternoon and evening. It added that the city would also get rain on Saturday.

On Monday, the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to fall around 39°C and 26°C, respectively. The Air Quality Index (AQI) of 135 was recorded at 9 am, which falls into the ‘moderate’ category according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). CPCB says that this ‘moderate’ category indicates acceptable air quality for most people, although sensitive individuals may experience minor health concerns.

Reason for the Rain

IMD scientist Naresh Kumar explained the atmospheric factors contributing to this weather disturbance in an interview with ANI. “Over the past few days, northwest India, including Delhi, has experienced moderate to heavy rainfall due to the influence of a western disturbance combined with moisture-laden winds from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. This confluence has led to significant rainfall in regions like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, with wind speeds reaching up to 60-70 km/h,” Kumar said

Rise in Temperature Likely

While the rain might provide temporary respite from the heat, Delhi temperatures are likely to rise gradually over the coming week.

Maximum temperatures across the capital are expected to increase by 4-6°C, while the minimum temperatures may rise by 3-5°C by the weekend, said the IMD. This signals a return to hotter conditions as the capital inches towards the monsoon season.

Temperature Recorded on Sunday

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 38.5°C at the Safdarjung observatory, which is considered the city's primary weather station. This reading was 1.4°C below the seasonal average.

IMD data showed that maximum temperatures ranged between 38.4°C and 39.1°C. Among Delhi’s key weather stations, the Ridge was the hottest at 39.1°C, 1.2°C above normal, followed by Lodi Road at 38.7°C and Palam at 38.6°C.

The minimum temperature ranged between 23.4°C and 26.2°C, with Lodi Road recording a minimum of 24.6°C, and the Ridge being the coolest at 23.4°C, 3.2°C below normal, according to the IMD.

With the IMD forecasting rain, thunderstorms, and rising temperatures for the coming days, residents are advised to stay updated with the latest weather alerts and take necessary precautions.