Delhi Wakes Up To Cloudy Morning, No Heatwave Predicted Till May 30

The national capital wok up to a cloudy morning day after rain lashed the city. In relief from the scorching summers, no heatwave has also been predicted till May 30.

The national capital residents woke up to a cloudy morning on Friday a day after rain and strong dust-raising winds hit parts of the city. The maximum temperature is likely to remain 36 degrees and very light rain is expected during the day, PTI reported the India Meteorological Department (IMD) as saying. According the report, weather conditions are likely to remain similar in the region for the next two to three days and no heatwave is predicted until May 30, the IMD said. On Thursday, the temperature lowered in parts of the city, the minimum temperature to 20.5 degrees Celsius, six notches below the normal after the rain, IMD said.

The city recorded 2 mm of rainfall from 8:30 am on Thursday to 8:30 am on Friday, the relative humidity was recorded at 67 per cent at 8:30 am.

The IMD has said that intermittent rains are predicted over northwest India, including the national capital and its surrounding areas, over the next two to three days due to the western disturbance active over the Himalayan region. The Safdarjung observatory, which provides representative data for the city, recorded a wind speed of 22 kmph and the Palam observatory 58 kmph, according to IMD.

On Tuesday the power demand in Delhi to 6,916 MW was pushed to its peak, the highest so far this season. The city had recorded a peak power demand of 7,695 MW last summer and it might reach 8,100 MW this year. 

The threshold for a heatwave is met when the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees Celsius in the coastal areas, and 30 degrees Celsius in the hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 degrees. Earlier this month, the weather office had predicted below-normal maximum temperatures and fewer heatwave days in northwest India in May.

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. It also stated that Delhi is particularly vulnerable to severe heatwave impacts despite its recent state action plan for climate change failing to reflect this fact.