IMD issues yellow alert for weekend rain in Delhi, temperature to rise next week

IMD issues yellow alert for rain and thunderstorms in Delhi over the weekend, with temporary relief from heat expected before temperatures rise sharply from June 1.

Delhi is likely to get temporary relief from the heat over the weekend as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for rain and thunderstorms, even as temperatures are expected to rise sharply again from the start of next week, according to the forecast.

Delhi is set for a rainy weekend under IMD yellow alert (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

“Partly cloudy sky becoming generally cloudy sky. A spell of very light to light rain accompanied with thunderstorm/lightning and strong wind speed reaching 50–60 kmph gusting to 70 kmph towards afternoon/evening,” the IMD’s forecast for today said.

Very light to light rain and thunderstorms are predicted for Sunday, with wind speeds of around 40–50 kmph in the morning. The IMD has forecast partly cloudy skies for Monday and Tuesday, while mainly clear skies will persist from Wednesday to Friday.

The city reported a minimum temperature of 24.6°C on Friday, with the maximum expected to be between 35°C and 37°C. Temperatures are expected to rise again from June 1 and are likely to reach 40°C to 42°C by Thursday, June 4.

The rain has also helped lower the AQI significantly, with it being recorded at 81 at 9:05 am in the “satisfactory” category. Delhi has so far seen only three days in May when the 24-hour AQI average was recorded in the “satisfactory” category; it was recorded at 88 on May 4, 86 on May 5, and 100 on May 8. According to the CPCB’s classification, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “good”, 51–100 “satisfactory”, 101–200 “moderate”, 201–300 “poor”, 301–400 “very poor” and 401–500 “severe”.