NEW DELHI: While the national capital and surrounding areas continued to reel under intense heat, Friday marked the hottest day of the season so far. Saturday afternoon also saw sweltering conditions, but a sudden shift in weather patterns during the second half of the day brought some relief.
Cloudy skies and strong winds swept across the region, although humidity levels remained high.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi-NCR was expected to witness light rain or drizzle by 9 pm, accompanied by winds blowing at 30–40 km/h, with gusts potentially reaching up to 50 km/h.
The weather department had forecast partly cloudy skies for Saturday, with winds expected to blow at speeds of 10 to 20 km/h, occasionally reaching up to 30 km/h.
Despite the slight cloud cover, heat wave conditions are likely to persist in some areas. The maximum temperature is forecast to reach 42°C, while the minimum is expected to be around 24°C. On Friday, the Delhi Airport issued a traffic advisory stating that a change in the wind pattern may cause delays in some flight operations.
According to a solo weather forecast on X, there may be a dust storm today in Delhi, Haryana, and Rajasthan as well. The post read, “A subtropical trough has formed over northwest India. It may trigger thunderstorms and dust storms over Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, west UP, and north MP during the next 3–6 hours. Stay watchful and updated with the latest forecast. Video: current Windy ECMWF 400 winds.”
As per the IMD, no major change in maximum temperatures is likely over Delhi during the next two days.
Meanwhile, for the next few days, the national capital will witness partly cloudy skies with no heat wave conditions till May 2, 2025. IMD has also predicted strong surface winds for the next five days.