IMD said scattered light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds is likely to hit Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi.
The India Meteorological Department on Tuesday forecast a dust storm followed by a thunderstorm, with light rain or drizzle and lightning, in Delhi, bringing relief to the scorching heat.
Gusty winds of 30-40 km per hour are expected in several areas, including Narela, Bawana, Alipur, Gangwala, Rohini, Badli, Pitampura, Mundka, Paschim Vihar, Punjabi Bagh, Rajouri Garden, Javarpur, Najafgarh, Dwarka, Palam and IGI Airport, besides Bahadurgarh in the National Capital Region.
Similar conditions are expected in the next two hours in parts of Haryana, including Hansi, Maham, Sonipat, Tosham, Rohtak, Kharkhuda, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Mattanhill and Jhajjar.
These reports are as of 3.40pm on Tuesday.
Isolated to scattered light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) is likely to hit Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi during April 28-30 and May 2-4, the India Meteorological Department said.
Similar activity is expected in Western Uttar Pradesh from April 28 to 30, Eastern Uttar Pradesh from April 29 to May 1, Western Rajasthan from April 28 to 29, and May 2 to 4, and Eastern Rajasthan from April 28 to May 4.
Read also | Rains are likely to ease in Delhi today with temperature rising to 42.3 degrees Celsius, 3.3 degrees Celsius above normal.
More about the weather in Delhi today. What do you expect
Delhi witnessed above-normal temperatures on Monday, with the mercury rising up to 4 degrees Celsius above average at all stations, though the IMD stopped short of declaring a heatwave and indicated a marginal decline with light rain from Tuesday.
Safdarjung, the city’s primary station, recorded a maximum temperature of 42.3 degrees Celsius, 3.3 degrees Celsius above normal, while the temperature at Ridge station in north Delhi reached 43.8 degrees Celsius, 4.3 degrees Celsius above average. Despite the rise, no station met heatwave criteria, similar to Sunday.
However, conditions changed by the evening as a dust storm swept through the capital between 8pm and 9pm. At around 7pm, the IMD issued a warning for gusty winds and possible light rain, although no rainfall was recorded until late Monday. An IMD official said the wind speed peaked at 61 km/h in Pragati Maidan, followed by 54 km/h in Pusa.
The IMD expects the weather on Tuesday to be partly cloudy with possible rain in isolated areas. A yellow alert has been issued for Wednesday, with two spells of light rain and gusty winds of up to 50km/h expected, with maximum temperatures likely to reach below 40C.
“Temperatures are likely to fall from Tuesday, with very light rain likely on Tuesday and light rain on Wednesday. The maximum should return to near normal and even below normal by Thursday,” a Meteorological Department official said.
Read also | Rain and storms will relieve Delhi from the heat wave soon. This is what IMD said
The cooling trend continues on Tuesday
The cooling trend is expected to continue through Thursday, with daytime temperatures likely to range between 39°C and 41°C until at least May 3, officials said. The city recorded heatwave conditions for three consecutive days between Thursday and Saturday.
While isolated heatwave conditions were observed on Thursday and Friday, a city-wide heatwave was declared on Saturday – the hottest day of the year so far – when Ridge Station recorded 44.5°C and Safdarjung touched 42.8°C.
Mahesh Palawat, vice president of Skymet Weather, said the expected rains were due to cyclones rotating over central Pakistan and neighboring northwest Rajasthan.
