Delhi under yellow alert as IMD forecasts light rain; western disturbance to keep June cooler

A fresh western disturbance is likely to impact northwest India from Wednesday, keeping cloudiness intact during the day till Friday.

Overcast skies and a cool breeze for the majority of the day on Sunday kept the mercury in check, with the maximum four degrees below normal, even as rain eluded the Capital despite a “yellow” alert.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum for the day was 35.8°C (HT)

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum for the day was 35.8°C and the minimum was 23.3°C – four degrees below normal.

The met office has forecast similar weather conditions across Delhi-NCR on Monday and Tuesday, with the possibility of isolated light rain. A fresh western disturbance (WD) is also likely to impact northwest India from Wednesday, keeping cloudiness intact during the day till Friday, with the maximum likely to be below 40°C.

“The start of June will not be as hot as expected, due to the lingering impact of this WD. There is also a possibility of some isolated scattered rain on June 3 and 4,” said an IMD official.

01 weather metro 1

While a “yellow” alert is in place for Monday and Tuesday, no colour-coded warning has been issued for Wednesday and Thursday.

Mahesh Palawat, vice-president at Skymet, said the moisture from the current WD impacting northwest India, accompanied by a cyclonic circulation, will keep chances of rain in the next few days. “Moisture and sunlight during the afternoon are likely to cause some patchy rain across Delhi-NCR. The approaching WD from June 3 is fairly feeble, but again, will introduce some moisture,” he said.

According to IMD, the maximum is likely to hover between 35-38°C on Monday and Tuesday, and will oscillate around 37-39°C till Saturday. The minimum is expected to gradually rise and possibly reach 29°C by Wednesday or Thursday, the weatherman said.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained “satisfactory” for a second straight day. The average air quality index (AQI) stood at 98 at 4 pm on Sunday, against 85 (satisfactory) recorded a day earlier. However, it is expected to return to the “moderate” by Monday.

It has been a tale of two halves in May, with the first half marked by a series of WDs which brought rain and kept temperatures in check. Delhi saw only one day between May 1 and 15 when the maximum exceeded 40°C. The second half, meanwhile, saw five heatwave days, with the maximum crossing 40°C. It peaked at 45.1°C on May 19; however, this latest WD has once again brought relief, cooling the city. Overall, the month’s average maximum stood at 39.5°C in May – 0.4°C below the long-period average (LPA) for May.