Yellow alert in Delhi as IMD predicts thunderstorms, light rain

As Delhiites were greeted by an unusually cloudy day amid rising temperatures, the India Meteorological Department issued a yellow alert in the national capital, forecasting thunderstorms accompanied by light rain.

The weather department has predicted thunderstorms accompanied by light rain later in the day in a few isolated pockets of the city.

The city recorded a minimum temperature of 24 degrees Celsius — the highest so far this season — while the maximum temperature is likely to settle around 39 degrees Celsius, according to the weather office.

Explaining the prevailing conditions, meteorologists said the haziness and cloud cover are due to an induced cyclonic circulation over western parts of Rajasthan and the neighbouring Pakistan.

“Dust particles from these areas have travelled towards Delhi-NCR, resulting in a layer of dust haze and a deterioration in air quality,” they said.

Thunderstorm and light rain activity was reported in parts surrounding Delhi, including Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Churu and Bikaner in Rajasthan, yesterday and similar conditions persisted on Thursday, which is having an effect on the city’s weather, experts said.

“Temperatures are expected to rise further across Delhi-NCR and northwest India over the next two to three days, potentially touching 41 to 42 degrees Celsius and leading to isolated heatwave conditions,” said Mahesh Palawat from Skymet.