Rain respite likely in Delhi today as mercury soars to 42.3°C, 3.3°C above normal

The IMD has forecast partly cloudy skies on Tuesday, with possibility of drizzle in isolated parts of the city. A yellow alert has been issued for Wednesday.

Updated on: Apr 28, 2026, 07:57:49 IST

By Jasjeev Gandhiok

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Today's weather news: Delhi baked under above-normal temperatures on Monday, with the mercury soaring by up to 4°C above average across stations, though the India Meteorological Department (IMD) stopped short of declaring a heatwave and signalled a marginal dip with light rain from Tuesday.

Weather today: The IMD has forecast partly cloudy skies on Tuesday, with the possibility of drizzle in isolated parts of the city. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

Safdarjung, the city’s base station, recorded a maximum of 42.3°C, 3.3°C above normal, while the Ridge station in north Delhi touched 43.8°C, which was 4.3°C above average. Despite the spike, no station met the heatwave criteria, similar to conditions on Sunday.

However, after a scorching day, weather conditions shifted by evening, with a dust storm sweeping across the capital between 8 pm and 9 pm. Around 7 pm, the IMD issued an alert warning of gusty winds and possible light rain, though no rainfall was recorded till late Monday. An IMD official said wind speeds peaked at 61km/hour at Pragati Maidan, followed by 54km/hour at Pusa.

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The IMD has forecast partly cloudy skies on Tuesday, with the possibility of drizzle in isolated parts of the city. A yellow alert has been issued for Wednesday, with one to two spells of light rain and gusty winds of up to 50km/hour expected, likely bringing the maximum temperature below the 40°C mark.

“Temperatures are likely to dip from Tuesday, with chances of drizzle to very light rain on Tuesday and light rain on Wednesday. The maximum should return close to normal and even below normal by Thursday,” an IMD official said.

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Officials said the marginal cooling trend is expected to persist till Thursday, with daytime temperatures likely to hover between 39°C and 41°C till at least May 3. The city had recorded heatwave conditions for three consecutive days between Thursday and Saturday. While isolated heatwave conditions were observed in pockets on Thursday and Friday, a citywide heatwave was declared on Saturday — the hottest day of the year so far — when the Ridge station recorded 44.5°C and Safdarjung touched 42.8°C.

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The IMD declared a heatwave when the maximum temperature is at least 4.5° above normal and crosses 40°C; it is also declared if the maximum touches 45°C or more. No station met this criteria on Monday, similar to Sunday. On Saturday, four stations were meeting this criteria; two on Friday and one on Thursday.

Mahesh Palawat, vice-president at Skymet, said the expected rain is likely due to a cyclonic circulation over central Pakistan and adjoining northwest Rajasthan. “On Monday, we already saw some rain in Rajasthan and it will move to Delhi, via Haryana, by Tuesday. More rain is likely on Wednesday and remnants of this spell are likely on Thursday too. In addition to the cyclonic circulation, some moisture is also being fed by the Arabian Sea and the rain will lead to temperatures dipping below 40°C again,” he said, adding that there is a possibility of some more pre-monsoon showers on May 5 as well.

Heatwaves in April are not uncommon in Delhi. The city recorded three such days between April 7 and 9 last year. In April 2022, there were as many as 11 heatwave days, while April 2017 saw four and April 2016 recorded one. The IMD declares a citywide heatwave only when Safdarjung is among at least two stations meeting the criteria.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasjeev Gandhiok
Jasjeev Gandhiok is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times, where he covers environment, climate change, the clean energy transition and wildlife at the National Bureau. Gandhiok has over a decade of experience in journalism and is based in Delhi. He has reported extensively on Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This includes the region's air pollution woes, a polluted Yamuna and on urban wildlife still thriving in the region. He joined HT in October 2021. Prior to that, he had five-year stint at The Times of India in Delhi, where he also covered Delhi, with a focus on environment and wildlife. Gandhiok has covered some recent events around the Capital too, ranging from the farmers' protests, the northeast Delhi riots and the CAA-NRC protests, reporting from the ground on all of these. He also travels across the country to report on how environment and climate change impact everyday life, while also writing on endangered species. His reports in 2019 on toxic leachate from Delhi's landfills led to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) taking suo motu cognisance and ultimately asking the state government to start bio-mining to flatten and remove all three landfills in the capital. He also closely tracks the implementation of government policies on climate, renewable energy and environmental protection. His focus remains on impactful, public-interest journalism which explains how environmental decisions affect people's everyday lives.Read More

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