Temperatures in Delhi rose slightly on Wednesday, although the India Meteorological Department issued a yellow alert until Friday for the capital, forecasting rain and thunderstorms.
The Meteorological Department said that the national capital is likely to witness “partly to generally cloudy skies” during the next two days. “A yellow alert has been issued on Thursday and Friday, as light rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds with speeds of up to 40-50 km per hour, which may reach speeds of up to 60 km per hour,” an IMD official told news agency PTI.
While no such warning was issued, the Meteorological Department expected similar conditions to continue on Saturday as well. The Meteorological Department had said earlier this week that rain is expected as part of pre-monsoon activities, which is normal throughout June.
“The city will witness occasional showers and thunderstorms, with pre-monsoon activities continuing, providing short respites to the heat,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president of private meteorological firm Skymet Weather, according to an earlier HT report.
Slight rise in temperature
The capital’s temperature rose slightly on Wednesday, with the temperature in Safdarjung, the city’s weather representative, reaching nearly 40 degrees Celsius. Safdarjung recorded a maximum temperature of 39.1 degrees Celsius, which was 1.4 degrees higher than the previous day, but 0.9 degrees lower than normal, according to PTI. The meteorological station recorded a minimum temperature of 27.4 degrees Celsius, 0.5 degrees above normal and 0.6 degrees higher than Tuesday.
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Other weather stations in Delhi also witnessed a similar pattern, with Palam recording a 3.7-degree rise in the maximum temperature, which stood at 39.6 degrees Celsius, and Lodhi Road recording a maximum temperature of 38.8 degrees Celsius, 2.8 degrees higher than the previous day. The Ridge also saw an increase of 2.1 degrees from the previous day, with the maximum temperature reaching 39.3 degrees on Tuesday. Ayanagar recorded 39.6 degrees Celsius, 3.5 degrees higher than Tuesday, according to PTI.
Rain to keep the temperature below 40°C
According to the IMD, rain, thunderstorms and gusty winds across the capital until Friday will keep the maximum temperature under control and below 40 degrees Celsius at least for the next six days.
With heavy rains forecast, Delhi is also set to see a relatively cooler start to June, with the maximum temperature likely to remain between 36°C and 39°C in the first week. This will be lower than the normal temperature for June 1-9, which is usually 40 degrees Celsius.
Although one or two isolated heatwave episodes are likely in June, pre-monsoon activities will continue over the next four to five days, said Mahesh Palawat, vice president, Skymet Weather. “The rains are the result of a western disturbance, which has led to cyclone circulation over Pakistan, Punjab and Haryana,” Palawat said, adding that the temperature will start rising after the first week of June.
