Rain respite likely in Delhi today as mercury soars to 42.3°C, 3.3°C above normal

DElhi baked below higher up-normal temperatures on mon, with the atomic number 80 soaring by up to 4°C above average out across stations, though the India Meteorological Department (IMD) stopped short of declaring a heatwave and signalled a marginal dip with light rain from Tuesday.Safdarjung, the city’s base station, recorded a maximum of 42.3°C, 3.3°C above normal, while the Ridge station in north Delhi touched 43.8°C, which was 4.3°C above average. Despite the spike, no station met the heatwave criteria, similar to conditions on Sunday.However, after a scorching day, weather conditions shifted by evening, with a dust storm sweeping across the capital between 8 pm and 9 pm. Around 7 pm, the IMD issued an alert warning of gusty winds and possible light rain, though no rainfall was recorded till late Monday. An IMD official said wind speeds peaked at 61km/hour at Pragati Maidan, followed by 54km/hour at Pusa.Also read: Two killed as ‘speeding’ bike hits Delhi flyover wall, falls off in the drainThe IMD has forecast partly cloudy skies on Tuesday, with the possibility of drizzle in isolated parts of the city. A yellow alert has been issued for Wednesday, with one to two spells of light rain and gusty winds of up to 50km/hour expected, likely bringing the maximum temperature below the 40°C mark.“Temperatures are likely to dip from Tuesday, with chances of drizzle to very light rain on Tuesday and light rain on Wednesday. The maximum should return close to normal and even below normal by Thursday,” an IMD official said.Also read: 3 killed as teenagers on speeding bike on Marine Drive hit senior citizenOfficials said the marginal cooling trend is expected to persist till Thursday, with daytime temperatures likely to hover between 39°C and 41°C till at least May 3. The city had recorded heatwave conditions for three consecutive days between Thursday and Saturday. While isolated heatwave conditions were observed in pockets on Thursday and Friday, a citywide heatwave was declared on Saturday — the hottest day of the year so far — when the Ridge station recorded 44.5°C and Safdarjung touched 42.8°C.Also read: 17 Hansraj College students, 4 others booked for ‘violence’ during annual festThe IMD declared a heatwave when the maximum temperature is at least 4.5° above normal and crosses 40°C; it is also declared if the maximum touches 45°C or more. No station met this criteria on Monday, similar to Sunday. On Saturday, four stations were meeting this criteria; two on Friday and one on Thursday.Mahesh Palawat, vice-president at Skymet, said the expected rain is likely due to a cyclonic circulation over central Pakistan and adjoining northwest Rajasthan. “On Monday, we already saw some rain in Rajasthan and it will move to Delhi, via Haryana, by Tuesday. More rain is likely on Wednesday and remnants of this spell are likely on Thursday too. In addition to the cyclonic circulation, some moisture is also being fed by the Arabian Sea and the rain will lead to temperatures dipping below 40°C again,” he said, adding that there is a possibility of some more pre-monsoon showers on May 5 as well.Heatwaves in April are not uncommon in Delhi. The city recorded three such days between April 7 and 9 last year. In April 2022, there were as many as 11 heatwave days, while April 2017 saw four and April 2016 recorded one. The IMD declares a citywide heatwave only when Safdarjung is among at least two stations meeting the criteria.