Delhi is likely to experience a dust storm with strong winds and very light rainfall on Sunday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The forecast also predicts partly cloudy skies and very light rainfall on Monday, with temperatures expected to rise towards the end of the week due to a western disturbance affecting northwest India. Another western disturbance is expected to hit the western Himalayan region from Monday onwards.
The maximum temperature in Delhi is expected to rise to around 40 degrees Celsius by April 27, which is slightly higher than the normal temperature for this time of year. However, partly cloudy skies may persist on some days during the rest of the week. The normal maximum temperature, calculated as a long period average, for April 22 to 25 is 37.7 degrees Celsius, according to IMD data.
The minimum temperature, usually recorded in the early hours, is set to rise to 23 degrees over the coming week from a below-normal figure of 20.6 degrees recorded early on Saturday.
An IMD bulletin released on Saturday stated that maximum temperatures over northwest India are expected to remain largely unchanged over the next three days, but could increase by two to four degrees thereafter. The bulletin added that no heatwave conditions are expected in the country over the next five days.
Since the beginning of the month, the Safdarjung weather station, which is the city’s base weather station, has recorded 20.1 mm of rainfall, which is 69% above the normal level of 11.9 mm until April 22. This month, western disturbances have brought rainfall to the plains of northwest India.
Due to rainfall in March and earlier this month, the Safdarjung weather station has not recorded any heatwave conditions so far this summer. However, one of the observatories in the city, located at the Ridge near Delhi University, recorded heatwave conditions last week, with maximum temperatures remaining above normal.
According to IMD data, in April last year, Safdarjung recorded nine heatwave days, with the highest maximum temperature being 43.5 degrees Celsius.
