Rain, thunderstorm and strong winds lashed several parts of Delhi on Thursday evening, bringing much-needed relief to residents from the heatwave and humidity.
Earlier in the day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had upgraded its yellow alert for Thursday to an orange alert, forecasting thunderstorms, lightning and rain activity in the evening.
While rainfall remained scattered across the Capital till late evening, gusty winds and cloud cover led to a noticeable dip in temperature in several areas.
According to the IMD data available till 8.30 pm, Ayanagar recorded 0.5mm rainfall, while Pragati Maidan received 0.9mm rainfall. Mehrauli reported the highest rainfall at 6.5 mm till 7 pm.
No significant rainfall or widespread strong winds have been observed across Delhi till the time of the filing of this report. However, Palam recorded gusty winds reaching up to 60 kmph at 8 pm.
The Weather Department has forecast significant change in conditions from Friday onwards. On May 29, Delhi is likely to witness thunderstorms with rain, lightning and squalls, accompanied by winds blowing at 40-50 kmph and gusting up to 80 kmph during the morning and afternoon hours. The department has issued an orange alert for the same.
The maximum temperature, which stood at 41.1 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung on Thursday, is expected to fall sharply to around 35-37 degrees Celsius on Friday, while the minimum temperature may settle between 23 and 25 degrees Celsius.
According to the IMD forecast, similar weather conditions are expected to continue on May 30 and 31, with generally cloudy skies, light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 40-50 kmph.
The IMD said the maximum temperature across Delhi is expected to fall by 8-10 degrees Celsius till May 30, while minimum temperature may drop by 4-5 degrees Celsius during the same period. However, temperature is likely to rise again gradually from June 1 onwards.
Safdarjung recorded a maximum temperature of 41.1 degrees Celsius, 3.2 degrees below normal for this time of the year. Lodhi Road recorded 39.3 degrees Celsius, while Ridge and Ayanagar reported 40.2 and 40.1 degrees Celsius, respectively. The minimum temperature stood at 28.4 degrees Celsius.
Despite the changing weather conditions, Delhi’s peak power demand continued to remain high, crossing 8,164 MW at 3.18 pm on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the city’s air quality remained in the “poor” category, with the Central Pollution Control Board recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 207.
