Rain Brings Relief to Delhi After Weeks of Intense Heat
Light showers and thunderstorms cool parts of NCR as IMD warns heatwave may return
- Light rain recorded across Delhi and nearby NCR areas
- IMD links weather change to thunderstorm activity in northwest India
- Temperatures expected to rise again from Saturday
- Heatwave conditions likely to continue till May 28
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 23rd May: Residents across New Delhi and nearby NCR regions woke up to light rain and cooler weather on Saturday morning, bringing temporary relief after weeks of intense heatwave conditions.
According to the India Meteorological Department, the rainfall and drop in temperature were caused by thunderstorm activity affecting northwest India.
The showers followed days of extreme heat across the capital, where temperatures had crossed 43 degrees Celsius on Friday.
The Safdarjung weather station, considered Delhi’s base observatory, recorded a maximum temperature of 43.3 degrees Celsius on Friday, which was 3.1 degrees above normal levels.
The minimum temperature settled at 29.3 degrees Celsius.
For Saturday, the IMD forecast a maximum temperature of around 44 degrees Celsius along with continued heatwave alerts.
The weather department has warned that heatwave conditions are likely to persist in Delhi until May 28 despite the brief spell of rain.
Weather experts said the temporary relief came after a shift in wind direction.
Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather said winds blowing from Rajasthan and the Thar Desert earlier this week had made conditions extremely dry and sharply increased daytime temperatures.
However, changing wind patterns have now caused a slight fall in temperatures and triggered isolated rain and thunderstorm activity.
Palawat said the current weather system is also linked to cyclonic circulation over Pakistan and adjoining regions of Punjab and Haryana.
He noted that the rain activity is expected mainly during early mornings and evenings and may not significantly reduce daytime temperatures.
According to forecasts, temperatures are likely to rise again in the coming days and may touch 45 degrees Celsius as hot desert winds return.
Weather experts have also predicted pre-monsoon activity from early June, which could provide more sustained relief from the ongoing heatwave.
