Rain, dust storm bring down mercury in Delhi, people breathe sigh of relief

Amid soaring temperatures in the national capital city, Delhi residents were greeted with a much-needed respite as heavy rains and strong winds swept across the region on Wednesday. The sudden change in weather brought relief from the intense heat that had been gripping the city for the past few days.

After an intensely hot and sunny afternoon with temperatures reaching about 35 degrees Celsius, there was a dust storm in the evening.

The weather department said, “A dust storm followed by a thunderstorm with rain and gusty winds, with speeds ranging from 40 to 70 kmph, is expected to occur over and adjoining areas of entire Delhi and NCR within the next 2 hours”.

The minimum temperature in Delhi was 22.6 degrees Celsius, which is typical for this time of year. The highest temperature will probably reach 38 degrees Celsius, the IMD had predicted.

The regional meteorological department predicted on that Delhi-NCR would probably see light to moderate rain.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) earlier on Sunday predicted that Delhi’s temperature would stay around 38 degrees Celsius for the next two to three days, with the probability of light rain on Monday.

Delhi saw temperatures above thirty degrees yesterday, with no rain and a nice evening breeze.

In contrast to the typical one to three days, the Met Office has stated that four to eight heatwave days are expected in various sections of the nation in April. There is likely be ten to twenty days of heatwaves, compared to the usual four to eight for the entire April–June period. There may be power grid pressure and water shortages in some areas of India due to the extreme heat.

The IMD predicted in a mid-April update said that La Nina conditions, which are anticipated to develop by August or September, will be the primary cause of India’s above-average cumulative rainfall during the 2024 monsoon.