NEW DELHI: Delhi witnessed a shift in weather on Thursday evening as overcast skies, drizzles, and a brief duststorm brought much-needed respite from the ongoing heatwave. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a thunderstorm with rain for Friday, with the maximum temperature expected to hover around 37 degrees Celsius and the minimum around 24 degrees Celsius.
Earlier in the day, heatwave conditions were recorded at the IMD’s Ridge and Ayanagar weather stations, where the mercury climbed to 40.9 degrees Celsius and 40.2 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The city’s main observatory at Safdarjung logged a maximum of 39.6 degrees Celsius — 4.5 degrees above normal. Other stations also reported high temperatures, with Palam registering 39.1 degrees Celsius and Lodhi Road matching Safdarjung at 39.6 degrees.
The capital had experienced its first heatwave of the season on Monday when temperatures breached the 40-degree mark. The minimum temperature stood at 25.9 degrees Celsius on Thursday, nearly six degrees above the seasonal average and the highest April night temperature in the last three years. In comparison, the highest April minimum was 26.2 degrees Celsius in 2022, while in 2023 and early 2024, the minimums remained below 25 degrees.