Delhi woke up to comparatively cooler weather on Thursday with the city expected to get some respite from the scorching heat. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast partly cloudy skies and spells of rain in the national capital today.
However, heatwave conditions are likely to persist across parts of north and central India even as widespread thunderstorm activity continues over several regions.
Widespread rainfall and thunderstorms
The IMD has forecast widespread rainfall activity accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds over large parts of the country in the coming days.
Heavy rainfall is very likely at isolated places over Assam, Meghalaya, Bihar, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry on May 28. Heavy showers are also expected over Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands in the subsequent days.
Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and winds of 40-50 kmph are likely over Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and parts of the northeast.
Strong winds in central India, storms near coasts
The IMD has also warned of thundersqualls with wind speeds of 60-70 kmph, gusting up to 80 kmph, over Bihar, West Bengal, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh.
Isolated hailstorm activity is likely over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, and parts of Madhya Pradesh.
Dust storm conditions are very likely at isolated places over Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Squally weather is also expected over adjoining sea areas, including the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, with wind speeds reaching up to 65 kmph.
Heatwave conditions persist
Despite rainfall activity in several regions, heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are expected to continue in isolated pockets of Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, and Rajasthan.
Heatwave conditions are also likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. Hot and humid weather conditions may prevail over coastal Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry.
Southwest monsoon advances
In its outlook, the IMD said conditions remain favourable for the further advance of the southwest monsoon into more parts of the Arabian Sea, Lakshadweep, the Bay of Bengal, and northeastern India over the next two to three days.
The Northern Limit of Monsoon currently passes through parts of the Arabian Sea, the central Bay of Bengal, and northeastern states, indicating a gradual strengthening of monsoon activity.
Delhi weather forecast for today
For Delhi, the IMD has forecast partly cloudy skies becoming generally cloudy during the day, with strong surface winds of 20-30 kmph, occasionally gusting up to 40 kmph.
A spell of very light to light rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and strong winds is likely during the evening and night hours. Wind speeds may reach 50-60 kmph, gusting up to 70 kmph during storm activity.
The maximum temperature is expected to remain around 42 to 44 degrees Celsius, while the minimum may settle between 27 and 29 degrees Celsius. Winds are likely to blow from north-west, east, and south-east directions at varying speeds through the day.
