Delhi sizzles at 40°C before gusty winds and showers bring evening relief

New Delhi: Delhi reeled under intense heat on Tuesday during the day, but gusty winds and brief showers brought much-needed relief in the evening. While the meteorological office had not issued an earlier rain alert, a yellow warning was later announced for strong winds and moderate to heavy rain in southern parts of Delhi.However, by 7.30 pm, only light to very light rainfall was recorded in most areas, with winds peaking at 50 km/h in some regions.Tuesday marked the hottest day of May so far, with temperatures at Safdarjung hitting 40.2 degrees Celsius—above normal and up from 38.3 degrees Celsius the previous day. The minimum temperature was 27.7 degrees Celsius, also above normal. Humidity ranged from 30% to 57%, with westerly winds reaching up to 10 km/h.The highest temperature was recorded at the Ridge (41.2 degrees Celsius), followed by Pitampura (40.8 degrees Celsius). Rainfall until 5.30 pm included 5.6 mm at Palam, 4 mm at Pitampura, 2 mm at Ridge, and just 0.2 mm at Safdarjung. Aya Nagar and Lodhi Road saw only traces. Delhi has recorded 90.8 mm of rainfall so far this month—77 mm of which fell on May 2, the second-highest single-day May rainfall on record.The wind speed, however, increased on Tuesday, reaching 50 km/h at 5 pm at Pitampura in northwest Delhi, 37 km/h at Pragati Maidan, and 35 km/h at Lodi Road. The weather department stated that the formation of convective clouds over the city, due to moisture feed and high temperatures, led to the rain.The weather department predicts strong winds for the next two days, May 14 and 15, reaching 35 km/h at peak and a partly cloudy sky. The maximum temperature on Wednesday and Thursday is expected to hover around 39 degrees Celsius to 41 degrees Celsius, which by Thursday is likely to increase to 40 degrees Celsius to 42 degrees Celsius. Friday is expected to hover around 40 degrees Celsius to 42 degrees Celsius. However, there are chances of light to very light rain on Friday with strong winds likely to gust up to 50 km/h.Meanwhile, air quality remained moderate. The 24-hour average AQI stood at 141, down from 162 the previous day. The forecast suggests moderate air quality between May 14 and 16, with a possibility of moderate to poor conditions in the following six days.New Delhi: Delhi reeled under intense heat on Tuesday during the day, but gusty winds and brief showers brought much-needed relief in the evening. While the meteorological office had not issued an earlier rain alert, a yellow warning was later announced for strong winds and moderate to heavy rain in southern parts of Delhi. However, by 7.30 pm, only light to very light rainfall was recorded in most areas, with winds peaking at 50 km/h in some regions.Tuesday marked the hottest day of May so far, with temperatures at Safdarjung hitting 40.2 degrees Celsius—above normal and up from 38.3 degrees Celsius the previous day. The minimum temperature was 27.7 degrees Celsius, also above normal. Humidity ranged from 30% to 57%, with westerly winds reaching up to 10 km/h.The highest temperature was recorded at the Ridge (41.2 degrees Celsius), followed by Pitampura (40.8 degrees Celsius). Rainfall until 5.30 pm included 5.6 mm at Palam, 4 mm at Pitampura, 2 mm at Ridge, and just 0.2 mm at Safdarjung. Aya Nagar and Lodhi Road saw only traces. Delhi has recorded 90.8 mm of rainfall so far this month—77 mm of which fell on May 2, the second-highest single-day May rainfall on record.The wind speed, however, increased on Tuesday, reaching 50 km/h at 5 pm at Pitampura in northwest Delhi, 37 km/h at Pragati Maidan, and 35 km/h at Lodi Road. The weather department stated that the formation of convective clouds over the city, due to moisture feed and high temperatures, led to the rain.The weather department predicts strong winds for the next two days, May 14 and 15, reaching 35 km/h at peak and a partly cloudy sky. The maximum temperature on Wednesday and Thursday is expected to hover around 39 degrees Celsius to 41 degrees Celsius, which by Thursday is likely to increase to 40 degrees Celsius to 42 degrees Celsius. Friday is expected to hover around 40 degrees Celsius to 42 degrees Celsius. However, there are chances of light to very light rain on Friday with strong winds likely to gust up to 50 km/h.Meanwhile, air quality remained moderate. The 24-hour average AQI stood at 141, down from 162 the previous day. The forecast suggests moderate air quality between May 14 and 16, with a possibility of moderate to poor conditions in the following six days.