Delhi weather: Relief short-lived, brace for heatwave spell from today

NEW DELHI: A thunderstorm hit parts of Delhi on Saturday morning, with wind speeds touching 81 kmph, bringing brief relief from the heat. The respite, however, was short-lived, with temperatures rising again during the day and heatwave conditions likely to return from Sunday as the mercury is forecast to hover between 43 and 45 degrees Celsius.

Under the influence of a feeble western disturbance and convection, several areas experienced gusty winds, thunderstorms and very light rainfall. The highest wind speed of 81 kmph was recorded at Pusa, followed by 56 kmph at Palam and 35 kmph at Pragati Maidan. While Safdarjung, the city’s base station, recorded no rainfall till 5.30 pm, Palam and Ayanagar reported trace rainfall, Pitampura received 1 mm and the Ridge logged 0.2 mm till 8.30 am.

Also read: No relief for Delhi-NCR as IMD warns of prolonged heatwave, 'orange' alert issued

The thunderstorm led to only a marginal dip in temperatures. At Safdarjung, the maximum fell by one degree Celsius, while Pitampura recorded the sharpest drop, from 35.3 degrees Celsius before the storm to 29.5 degrees Celsius after it. “Convection develops after a spell of very high temperatures. Very light rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and dust storms was observed at some places over Delhi,” a Met official said.

The mercury climbed again during the day, with Safdarjung recording a maximum of 41.1 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal, compared with 43.3 degrees Celsius a day earlier. Although no heatwave was recorded for the second consecutive day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Sunday and Monday. A yellow alert is in place from May 26 to 28.

“Heatwave conditions are very likely to prevail from May 24 to 28. Maximum temperatures are expected to rise by 2-3 degrees Celsius over the next four days, followed by a fall of about 2 degrees Celsius,” an IMD official said.

According to the IMD, a heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 degrees Celsius above normal and reaches 40 degrees Celsius or more. A heatwave is also considered when the maximum touches 45 degrees Celsius or higher.

The minimum temperature settled at 28.4 degrees Celsius, two degrees above normal. “Minimum temperatures are likely to rise by around 2 degrees Celsius over the next two days, followed by a slight fall of 1-2 degrees Celsius,” the official said.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘moderate’ category, with an air quality index (AQI) of 195, compared with 183 a day earlier.

Also read: Temperatures near 48°C: India reels under severe heatwave conditions; nationwide alert till May 28