An unusually humid start to April appeared to have helped bring Delhi’s temperatures under control in April, easing what is typically one of the capital’s harsh months, with even a sharp rise in temperatures during the third week briefly pushing conditions into heatwave territory.
Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed that the average maximum temperature for April, recorded up to April 29, was 37°C – lower than last year’s 39°C and only marginally higher than the long-period average of 36.5°C. This figure matches 2024, while April 2023 was noticeably colder at 35.3°C.
However, this year’s relatively mild average masks the month’s uneven pattern – with days alternating between periods of rain and extreme heat.
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Rain was part of the reason for the lower headline maximum temperature figure. Delhi recorded about 30 mm of rain last April, nearly double the normal of 16.3 mm, making it the wettest April since 2008, when 38.8 mm was recorded.
In contrast, April of last year saw only 0.7 mm of rain, while 2024 recorded 7.5 mm and 2023 about 20.1 mm. Frequent rains in the first half of the month kept daytime temperatures below normal, delaying the onset of sustained heat.
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This was most evident in the opening week, when four rainy days between April 1 and 8 kept temperatures from rising sharply. The mercury then started to rise, crossing the 40°C mark for the first time on April 16. What followed was a short but intense spell of heat: the city recorded nine days above 40 degrees Celsius, including a three-day heatwave between April 23 and 25. On April 24, Safdarjung – Delhi’s primary weather station – recorded 42.8 degrees Celsius, the highest April temperature in four years.
However, a western disturbance late in the month brought cloud cover and spells of rain, dropping temperatures below the 40°C mark in the last few days. Light rain was recorded in parts of the city on Wednesday, with Safdarjung and Palam receiving 1.8 mm by morning, Lodhi Road 2.2 mm and Mongeshpur 5 mm. The maximum temperature stabilized at 37.1 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal. “The first half was largely dominated by rain. In the second half, temperatures rose during a brief dry spell, but were set back by fresh rain towards the end of the month,” Skymet’s Mahesh Palawat said.
Forecasts indicate that this trend may continue until early May, with light rain likely and temperatures ranging between 35°C and 37°C.
