Residents of New Delhi woke up to a pleasant morning on Friday as thunderstorms accompanied by rain and strong winds swept across parts of the national capital last night, bringing relief from the sweltering heat and humidity that had prevailed through the day.
Dark clouds covered the sky as weather conditions changed rapidly across several areas of the city. Gusty winds lashed many parts of Delhi, while lightning illuminated the sky, and rain was reported from several locations.
Delhi weather forecast
Delhi has been placed under ‘yellow alert’ with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting a generally cloudy sky with light to moderate rain, thunderstorms, lightning, and strong gusty winds across the region today.
Wind speeds are expected to reach 50-60 kmph, going up to 70 kmph during thunderstorm activity.
The maximum temperature will hover between 34-36 degrees Celsius while the minimum temperature will remain as low as 23-25 degrees Celsius.
According to weather experts, the sudden change in weather conditions has been triggered by a cyclonic circulation over central Pakistan and adjoining areas, which has enhanced atmospheric instability over northwest India, including Delhi-NCR.
The prevailing conditions are also expected to bring relief from the heat, with temperatures likely to dip over the next few days under the influence of cloud cover and rainfall.
Monsoon advances
While northwest India experiences a spell of pre-monsoon thunderstorms, the southwest monsoon continues to advance across the country.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the monsoon has further advanced into the remaining parts of the northeastern states, the entire Sikkim region and parts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal.
Conditions remain favourable for its further advancement into parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and central India over the next few days.
Heavy rain in several states
Heavy rainfall activity is likely to continue across several parts of eastern, northeastern and southern India.
The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, while widespread rain is expected across Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura over the next few days.
In eastern India, heavy rainfall is likely to occur in Bihar, Odisha and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds.
Southern states are also expected to remain under active monsoon conditions. Heavy rainfall has been forecast over Kerala, Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu and Telangana, with isolated very heavy rainfall likely at some places over Kerala and Karnataka.
