Delhi witnessed a noticeable dip in temperature on Saturday as light rain brought temporary relief from intense heatwave that had gripped the Capital over the past week.
Several parts of the city woke up to light showers in the morning, while the India Meteorological Department issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms, lightning and light rain for the day — a shift from the orange heatwave alerts that had remained in place over recent days.
According to IMD data, the Capital recorded a maximum temperature of 41.1 degrees Celsius, which was 0.9 degrees above normal, while the minimum settled at 28.4 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degrees above normal. However, the relief is expected to be short-lived, with heatwave conditions likely to return between May 24 and May 28.
The IMD has forecast a rise of 2-3 degrees Celsius in the maximum temperature over the next four days, with temperature expected to hover around 44 degrees Celsius on Sunday. An orange alert has been issued for Sunday and Monday, with maximum temperature likely to range between 43 and 44 degrees Celsius and minimum temperature between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius.
From May 26 to May 28, the Weather Department has issued a yellow alert for heatwave conditions. A slight improvement in weather conditions is likely on May 29. The forecast for the day includes strong surface winds during daytime hours.
The brief spell of rain also had a marginal impact on electricity consumption in the city. Delhi’s peak power demand on Saturday remained below the 8,000 MW mark, settling at 7,940.140 MW, lower than the record highs recorded earlier this week.
Meanwhile, the Capital’s air quality remained in the “moderate” category, with the Central Pollution Control Board recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 195 at 4 pm.
