Stormy May leaves Delhi with 507% excess rainfall

Temperature in Delhi peaked at 39.7°C before gusty winds dropped it by up to 8.4°C. May was the third wettest since 1901. Air quality worsens to "poor."

Temperature soared on Saturday afternoon amid cloudy skies but thunderstorm along with gusty winds in some parts brought a relief as the mercury dropped sharply towards the evening. However, only trace amount of rainfall was recorded in some areas, bringing an end to a month that was the third wettest May for Delhi since 1901, according to the weather department.

Dark clouds above Kartavya Path in New Delhi on Saturday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) suggest similar weather conditions to continue for the next few days.

At Safdarjung, the maximum temperature was recorded at 39.7 °C, higher than the 34.8°C recorded on Friday. The minimum, meanwhile, fell slightly, to 25.8°C. It was 27.3°C a day before.

However, gusty winds that started late afternoon and continued till evening brought the gross temperature down. According to IMD data, Safdarjung, recorded a maximum wind speed of 40kmph at 4.30pm, and saw a fall in temperature by 6°C between 3.30pm and 5pm.

Other stations recorded steeper drops: at Pitampura, the maximum fell by 8.3°C between 3.15pm and 4.45 pm, Delhi University saw a drop of 8.4°C, Ayanagar 8.1°C and Najafgarh witnessed a 7.8°C drop.

While parts of the city recorded wind of speed 37- 63kmph, no major rain was recorded in the city. The DU station recorded 0.5mm of rain between 2.30 pm and 5.30 pm, with only trace amount of rain recorded at a few more stations.

Last month was the third wettest May since 1901 — Safdarjung received a total of 186.4mm rain this month, as compared to the normal of 30.7mm, recording an excess of 155.7 mm rain, according to IMD data.

“Similar weather conditions are expected to continue at least till Wednesday. Partly cloudy skies will continue to persist. There is possibility of very light rain, along with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds of speed 40-50 kmph, or even reaching 60kmph,” said an IMD official. However, no weather alerts have been issued for the next few days.

The maximum is expected to be around 37-39°C on Sunday and then go down further. The minimum is expected to be around 25-27°C on Sunday.

Despite windy conditions, the air quality deteriorated significantly, falling into the “poor” category. The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 241 (moderate) at 4pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) daily national bulletin. It was 167 (moderate) at the same time on Friday.

Forecasts by the Centre’s Early Warning System for Delhi (EWS), however, show that the air quality is likely to improve and return to the “moderate” category from Sunday.

“The air quality is likely to be in moderate category from Sunday to Tuesday. The outlook for subsequent six days is that the air quality is likely to be in the moderate to poor category,” said the EWS bulletin on Saturday evening.