NEW DELHI: Following a powerful dust storm and thunderstorm on Wednesday, the capital witnessed a sharp drop in temperatures on Thursday, offering much-needed relief from the oppressive heat earlier this week. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), maximum and minimum temperatures across the city dropped by 5 to 9 degrees celsius over the past 24 hours.
At Safdarjung, the city’s base weather station, the maximum temperature was recorded at 34.7 degrees celsius, 5.5 degrees celsius below normal, while the minimum plunged to 20.8 degrees celsius, a steep 5.9 degrees celsius below average. Similar conditions were observed across other stations, with Palam recording a maximum of 33.8 degrees celsius and minimum of 19.1 degrees celsius. Rainfall in the past 24 hours was highest at Mayur Vihar (18.5 mm) and Safdarjung (12.3 mm), although no rainfall was recorded between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
The IMD attributed the cooling effect to prevailing upper-air cyclonic circulations over Punjab and Madhya Pradesh and the formation of a trough extending into central India. Surface winds, gusting up to 79 kmph at Safdarjung on Wednesday, had now calmed but are expected to return in bursts over the next few days.
The seven-day forecast warns of continued weather volatility. From May 23 to 28, Delhi is likely to experience partly cloudy skies, with very light to light rain, thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds reaching up to 50 kmph, particularly in the evenings and nights. Thunderstorm activity is expected across all districts including North, South, Central, and East Delhi, as well as Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad.
No heatwave conditions are expected through this period. The IMD urges residents to remain cautious, especially during evening hours, as more dust storms and thunderstorms may follow. Owing to the cooler temperatures, the city’s peak power demand dropped to 6188 MW on Thursday, down from the 7748 MW, recorded a day earlier.
Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI also improved from 213 in the “poor” category to 119 in the “moderate” category.
Remain cautious as more storms may follow: IMD
The IMD urges residents to remain cautious, especially during evening hours, as more dust storms and thunderstorms may follow. Owing to the cooler temperatures, the city’s peak power demand dropped to 6188 MW on Thursday, down from the 7748 MW, the season’s highest.