With a western disturbance affecting parts of northwest India, cloudy skies, the possibility of a dust storm or thunderstorm and very light rainfall are on the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast for Delhi-NCR on Monday.
The maximum temperature could drop to around 41 degrees Celsius on Monday, after stabilizing at 45.6 degrees Celsius the day before.
Over the past 24 hours, the minimum temperature was also above normal, indicating a warm night. The minimum temperature recorded early Monday was 30.8 degrees Celsius at the Safdarjung weather observatory, four degrees above the long-term average. It is the first time this month that the minimum temperature has reached 30 degrees Celsius. The normal minimum temperature from May 16 to 20 is 26.4 degrees Celsius.
The maximum temperature could drop by around two to four degrees over northwest and central India over the next two days, according to forecasts. Heatwave conditions remain predicted for isolated parts of southern Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and southern Uttar Pradesh on Monday.
The maximum temperature in Delhi could range from 40 to 45 degrees Celsius over the next six days. While scorching conditions are back on the forecast for May 20, when the maximum temperature could stand at 45 degrees Celsius, it could drop to around 40 degrees Celsius on May 22, when the possibility of rain and strong winds is planned.
The city recorded a rainfall deficit in March and April. No rain was recorded in March, against a normal of 15.9 mm at the Safdarjung weather station. In April, 0.3mm of rainfall was recorded which is below the normal of 12.2mm for the month in Safdarjung. So far in May, Safdarjung Observatory has recorded 1.4mm of rainfall. The normal, or long-term average, for the month is 9.8mm.
