The national capital is witnessing a wet and stormy start to the week, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a ‘yellow warning’ on Monday and Tuesday. A fresh western disturbance is likely to bring scattered rain and gusty winds up to 50 km/h across northwest India, including Delhi and the National Capital Region.
Although the disturbance is still weak, an IMD official said it has started affecting the western Himalayan region from Sunday. “There are chances of light rain in the plains, including Delhi, on Monday and Tuesday,” the official added.
Thunderstorms are expected on Wednesday, after which temperatures will gradually return to rising.
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On Sunday, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 37.9 degrees Celsius, which is a degree below normal. Maximum temperatures are expected to range between 37-39°C on Monday, before falling to 35-37°C on Tuesday and 34-36°C on Wednesday. The minimum temperature on Sunday was 26.2 degrees Celsius, which is a degree higher than normal, and is likely to remain between 25-27 degrees Celsius until Thursday.
“Temperatures will start rising again from Thursday and may approach 40 degrees Celsius by the end of the week,” the IMD official said.
Mahesh Palawat, vice president, Skymet Weather, said the first half of May is unlikely to witness any heatwave. “This western disturbance will provide a cooling effect and prevent the mercury from rising rapidly. Temperatures may remain below 40 degrees Celsius until around May 15,” he said.
May has been unseasonably cold so far, with back-to-back western disturbances and even brief hailstorms in parts of the city on May 5. The highest maximum temperature of the season so far is 38.6 degrees Celsius, and was recorded on May 2.
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Usually, May in Delhi sees the maximum temperature exceeding 40°C, sometimes reaching 45°C. The highest temperature last May was 42.3 degrees Celsius (May 16). In comparison, May 2024 recorded 46.8°C (May 30), May 2023 saw 43.7°C (May 23), and May 2022 touched 45.6°C (May 16).
Delhi’s air quality remained “moderate” on Sunday, with the air quality index (AQI) standing at 127, slightly higher than Saturday’s 116, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) 24-hour daily bulletin.
According to the centre’s air quality early warning system, the air quality index is likely to remain “moderate” until May 12, but may improve to “satisfactory” by May 13.
According to the classification of the Central Bank of China, an air quality index between 0 and 50 is considered “good”, 51-100 is “satisfactory”, 101-200 is “moderate”, 201-300 is “poor”, 301-400 is “very poor”, and 401-500 is “severe”.
