Heavy and intermittent rains in the intervening night on Tuesday and Wednesday failed to provide relief from the heat, with Delhi experiencing a “feels like” temperature of 46.7 degrees Celsius at 5.30 pm on Wednesday due to persistent dry winds, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 42.4 degrees Celsius, which is 2.5 degrees Celsius above normal, with humidity levels ranging from 29% to 84% during the day.
However, experts said the approaching western disturbance could bring about colder conditions, with the IMD issuing an orange alert for rain, lightning and wind on Thursday, and a yellow alert on Friday.
“Dry southwesterly winds have been blowing over the city since yesterday (Tuesday), with bright sunshine and clear skies, causing the temperature to remain high. Additionally, some humidity due to isolated rains that occurred on Tuesday may also have contributed to the increase in temperature,” said Mahesh Palawat, Skymet Vice President, Weather.
Meanwhile, the minimum temperature dropped sharply, with the reading reaching 22.9°C, 5.1°C below normal and 6.3°C lower than the minimum of 29.2°C recorded the previous day.
On Tuesday evening, the weather in the city turned sharply after 5.30 pm, with a dust storm and rainfall recorded in the Delhi-NCR. The meteorological station in Bosa recorded the highest wind speed of 128 kilometers per hour, followed by Palam, which recorded a wind speed of 120 kilometers per hour, the highest wind speed since it recorded winds of 138 kilometers per hour on April 27, 2005.
There was a yellow alert on Wednesday morning as well, but there was no rain until 8.30pm. The city recorded 9.6 mm rainfall in the 24 hours up to 8.30 am on Wednesday, according to IMD data.
Palawat said the western disturbance is expected to reach the city by Thursday evening, bringing more rain in the coming days.
Many residents said that the fast winds that blew during the night caused entire trees or large branches to fall. Many took to social media to post pictures of trees uprooted from concrete sidewalks and demand that civic agencies repair them.
“On a road near Moth Masjid, a roadside tree fell on the opposite wall so that it did not completely fall to the ground, but instead, had enough of a gap to allow vehicles to pass underneath it. This is very dangerous, and a major safety issue,” said Sanjay Rana, general secretary of Greater Kailash Residents Welfare Association 2.
In Hauz Khas, user
The IMD forecast for Thursday calls for light rain and thunderstorms, with winds of up to 70 km per hour, and Friday’s forecast expects multiple showers with winds of up to 60 km per hour.
