Delhi gets light rain, heatwave likely to return from Monday

Safdarjung, Delhi’s base station for weather, recorded a maximum temperature of 38.4 degrees Celsius (°C) -- around normal for this time of the year but 1.4 degrees up from a day ago.

Parts of Delhi saw drizzle activity on Friday afternoon, keeping the humidity intact and the maximum temperature under control.

People run to take cover during a light rainfall, at Connaught Place, in New Delhi on May 6, 2022.  (ANI photo)

Safdarjung, Delhi’s base station for weather, recorded a maximum temperature of 38.4 degrees Celsius (°C) -- around normal for this time of the year but 1.4 degrees up from a day ago.

Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 37°C on Thursday -- a result of light drizzle and isolated hailstorm activity two days ago.

While cloudy conditions are expected on Saturday too, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a two-three degree rise in temperature with no rain. The maximum is expected hover around 41-42°C and the minimum around 25°C.

Heatwave conditions are meanwhile expected to return to Delhi from Monday, with a yellow alert (issued to alert people about a possible weather phenomenon) in place from Monday until Thursday.

While the maximum temperature will hover between 43°C and 45°C on Monday and Tuesday, it will be around 44-46°C on Wednesday and Thursday.

While Safdarjung recorded ‘trace’ rainfall between 8.30am and 5.30pm on Friday, Lodhi Road and Pitampura weather stations recorded 1mm and 0.5mm of rainfall respectively during this period.

No rain was recorded in Delhi on Thursday, with 1.4mm of rainfall recorded on Wednesday.

The IMD has not forecast any rain for Friday but Met officials said a convergence of conflicting easterly and westerly winds over Haryana led to the formation of some thunder clouds, which also brought gusty winds and drizzle to Delhi.

“Wind speeds ranged from 20-30 km/hr at Palam between noon and 1pm. No rain is expected on Saturday with westerly winds set to return,” said a met official.

Delhi’s minimum temperature was recorded at 24.2°C on Friday, one degree below normal.

The relative humidity meanwhile oscillated between 36% and 80%.