NEW DELHI: The capital is likely to witness some relief from the scorching heat with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting a two-day spell of rainfall from Thursday. Daytime temperatures have remained above the 40 degree celsius mark for the past week with, often reaching as high as 42 degrees celsius.
The IMD has forecast partly cloudy skies with possibilities of thunderstorm development by Tuesday evening. Maximum temperatures are likely to remain between 38°C and 40°C until Wednesday. A noticeable change is expected from Thursday, with a predicted fall in temperatures by 2–3°C across the capital.
From May 1 onwards, Delhi may experience generally cloudy skies accompanied by very light rain or drizzle, as well as thunderstorms and lightning. Gusty winds reaching speeds of 30–40 kmph, with gusts up to 50 kmph, are also forecast.
Districts across Delhi-NCR including North, West, East, and South Delhi, as well as Noida, Gurgaon, and Ghaziabad, can expect similar weather patterns. The strong winds and light showers are likely to bring respite from the prevailing warm conditions.
The IMD noted that a fresh Western Disturbance is likely to impact the Western Himalayan region from May 2, which could influence weather over Delhi and surrounding areas. Cooling operations and a further drop in temperatures are expected toward the weekend, offering some relief from the early summer heat. No heat wave conditions are predicted for the city during this period.
The city witnessed partly cloudy skies and warm conditions on Monday, with the maximum temperature at Safdarjung settling at 40.4°C, slightly above the normal by 1.4°C. The minimum temperature dropped to 23.2°C after a sharp fall of 4°C from the previous day, according to the IMD.
Surface winds blew from the southeast at speeds of 10–20 kmph. No rainfall was recorded across the city during the past 24 hours. At the same time, pollution levels have been soaring, with the capital recording a 24-hour average Air Quality Index of 266 in the “Poor” category.