Gusty winds, drizzle in areas help break warm spell in city
It was another warm day for Delhi on Monday with the maximum temperature hovering between 40 and 42 degrees Celsius in most parts of the capital.but late evening saw the weather turn for the better as gusty winds, with speeds ranging between 30-60km/hr, swept through the city, accompanied by drizzle in a few places, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said.
Safdarjung, Delhi’s base station for weather parameters, recorded a maximum of 40.6°C on Monday, two degrees above normal for this time of the year. The minimum temperature was 22.7°C, which is normal.
RK Jenamani, scientist at IMD, attributed the change in weather towards the evening to a western disturbance passing through the region, but said its impact will be limited.
Delhi is forecast to see a maximum temperature of around 42°C (Safdarjung station) on Tuesday, with other parts of the national capital will be warmer by an additional two degrees.
“Due to the impact of the western disturbance, Delhi saw a passing effect, with thunderstorm activity and gusty winds, ranging from 30-60 km/hr, after 8.30pm. A drizzle was also recorded in parts of Delhi and while this will have a cooling effect at night, its impact will disappear by Tuesday,” said Jenamani.
Met officials said while the impact of the WD was more concentrated in Haryana, parts of south-west Delhi and west Delhi also got a bit of drizzle.
Another western disturbance is likely to influence north-west India from April 28 onwards; however, met officials said the impact of that WD is yet unknown. “We are monitoring it closely to see whether it will only lead to cloudy skies or could result in more activity,” Jenamani said.
While Safdarjung saw a temperature high of 40.6°C on Monday, it was the sports complex station in east Delhi that was Delhi’s hottest location, recording a high of 43.1°C. The met department has forecast clear skies for Tuesday during the day, with the maximum temperature hovering between 42 and 44°C in most parts of Delhi.
Flights diverted
At least six flights were diverted and many more services were delayed due to thunderstorm over the Delhi airport on Monday evening, PTI reported.
Among those were a Vistara plane from Mumbai and two Alliance Air flights -- from Jaipur and Lucknow -- which were diverted to the Lucknow airport.