IMD has issued a yellow alert and warned people of traffic disruptions and inundation of low-lying areas. IMD has issued a yellow alert and warned people of traffic disruptions and inundation of low-lying areas. IMD has issued a yellow alert and warned people of traffic disruptions and inundation of low-lying areas. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted rain and thunderstorms in Delhi-NCR in the next two hours. Earlier in the day, the central weather agency issued a rain alert for Delhi till Wednesday and said that no heatwave conditions are likely in the region till June 4. Several parts of the national capital received a fresh spell of rain on Monday, as strong winds and cloudy skies brought down the temperatures.
Gusty winds with speeds reaching 50 kmph swept the city in the afternoon and light rainfall was recorded in several areas, an IMD official told news agency PTI. The central weather forecasting agency has predicted a fresh western disturbance that will bring gusty winds, rain, and hail to some parts of the city on May 30 and 31.
The weather office has issued a yellow alert and warned people of traffic disruptions and inundation of low-lying areas. Delhi's primary weather station - the Safdarjung Observatory - recorded a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal. The minimum temperature settled at 21.5 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal.
This year, May, considered to be the hottest month in Delhi, has recorded below-normal temperatures and excess rainfall. The sudden change in weather is due to higher-than-usual western disturbances -- weather systems that originate in the Mediterranean region and bring unseasonal rainfall to northwest India.
The Safdarjung Observatory has not recorded any heat wave in the pre-monsoon season for the first time since 2014, weather department officials said on Tuesday. A few isolated areas, however, witnessed heatwave conditions for a brief period in April and May, they said. The city recorded maximum temperatures above the 40-degree mark for just nine days in May with heatwave conditions affecting some parts for two days.
According to IMD data, the Safdarjung Observatory has so far recorded 86.7 mm of rainfall in May. On average, the national capital logs 19.7 mm of rainfall in the whole month. The national capital logged more than 20 mm of rainfall in April, the highest in the month since 2017, and heatwave conditions at isolated pockets.
Overall, Delhi has gauged 158 per cent higher rainfall -- 161.2 mm against a normal of 62.6 mm -- during the pre-monsoon period this year.
(With inputs from PTI)