Rain Brings Sudden Relief
New Delhi: After several days of extreme heat and uncomfortable weather, parts of Delhi-NCR received light rainfall on Saturday morning, bringing temporary relief to residents across the region. Areas in Delhi witnessed brief showers along with cloudy skies and cool winds, leading to a noticeable drop in temperature after a prolonged spell of scorching heat.
Neighbouring cities including Noida also experienced rainfall, while Ghaziabad remained under dense cloud cover during the early hours of the day. The sudden change in weather came as a welcome break for people struggling with severe heatwave-like conditions throughout the week.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said a dust storm followed by thunderstorms, lightning and light rain is likely to affect many parts of Delhi and the National Capital Region. According to the weather agency, strong winds reaching speeds of 40 to 70 kilometres per hour may occur in several areas.
The IMD also issued forecasts for rainfall and dust storm activity in districts of Haryana and Rajasthan. Officials said weather conditions may remain unstable for the next few hours due to changing wind patterns and atmospheric circulation in the region.
Despite the rainfall, temperatures in Delhi continued to remain above seasonal averages. On Friday, the Ridge observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 44.4 degrees Celsius, which was 2.2 degrees above normal levels. Although the IMD did not officially declare a heatwave, it retained its warning for heatwave conditions in Delhi until May 28.
For Saturday, the department predicted temperatures between 28 and 44 degrees Celsius.
Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather explained that winds blowing from Rajasthan and the Thar Desert had earlier intensified the heat across north India. However, a temporary shift in wind direction helped lower temperatures slightly and created conditions favourable for isolated rain and thunderstorms.
He added that the relief may not continue for long, as temperatures are expected to rise again with hot desert winds likely to return. Weather experts believe heatwave conditions could persist till the end of May, while pre-monsoon activity in early June may provide more sustained relief.
