Rain, Strong Winds Bring Mercury Down in Delhi, Other Parts of India; No Heatwave for Next 5 Days

Rain showers, thunderstorms, and strong dust-raising winds swept parts of the national capital and a few other places in northern India on Thursday, and similar weather conditions are expected in the next two to three days.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), rainfall and overcast weather are likely in Delhi till May 30. There will also be no heatwave for the next five days, it added.

Light to moderate rainfall was observed at most places over the Western Himalayan region and Northwest India, IMD said in its latest bulletin.

Thunderstorms with winds reaching up to 50-60 kmph was observed in Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan on Thursday.

Under the influence of a western disturbance active over the western Himalayan region, intermittent rains are predicted over northwest India, including the Delhi, over the next two to three days, IMD added.

A heatwave scorched parts of Delhi on Monday and Tuesday, with many weather stations recording maximum temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius.

Yellow warning for rains in Himachal

Moderate to heavy rains, accompanied by lightning and thunderstorm, lashed several parts of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday which triggered landslides, along with disrupting power supply.

The local meteorological centre issued a “yellow” warning of thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places from May 26 to 28, and forecast rains at many places in lower areas on Friday and rains and thunderstorms at isolated places in the lower and mid hills from May 27 to 29.

In Himachal, at least 19 roads were closed due to inclement weather in the last few days and 171 transformers were also disrupted.

The Shimla-Theog road (National Highway 5) was blocked for vehicular traffic for nearly two hours following a landslide due to the ongoing excavation work, according to news agency PTI said.

Rainfall in other regions

Rains also lashed parts of Punjab and Haryana on Thursday, leading to a dip in the temperature. A dust storm also hit Chandigarh, and its surrounding areas in the afternoon.

The maximum temperatures settled between 31 degrees Celsius and 34 degrees Celsius at most places in the two states, which was below the normal limits.

Heavy rainfall is also predicred in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura, Sikkim, Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand during the next two days.

Thunderstorms and gusty winds were also observed in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu.

Weather in India

With the IMD anticipating a slight delay in the arrival of the southwest monsoon, the maximum temperatures are likely to remain above normal for a longer-than-usual period.

Heatwaves in India are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change, with over 90 per cent of the country in the ‘extremely cautious’ category or ‘danger zone’ of their impacts, according to a study conducted at the University of Cambridge.