Weather updates: Rain likely in Delhi today; north India sizzles under heatwave

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted light rainfall for Delhi on Friday, June 14, which might bring some relief from the ongoing heatwave in the capital. India’s heatwave is the longest ever to hit the country, said IMD. (AFP/File)

On Thursday, the Safdarjung Observatory, which is the city’s official weather station, recorded a maximum temperature of 44.8 degrees Celsius, 4.9 degrees above normal. Whereas, the Najafgarh weather station recorded an even higher temperature of 45.1 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD.

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Delhi was on an ‘orange’ alert, signalling to be prepared for the day. Relative humidity ranged from 15 per cent to 58 per cent on Thursday, as per the IMD report.

The forecast for Friday included partly cloudy skies with chances of thunderstorms, light rain, or drizzle in some places during the afternoon and evening. The IMD also predicts heatwave conditions in certain areas, along with strong surface winds reaching up to 35 kilometres per hour. Temperatures are expected to range around 44 degrees Celsius for the maximum and 30 degrees Celsius for the minimum.

Heatwave conditions continue across India

On Thursday, the national capital, parts of Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar experienced severe heatwave conditions, with temperatures exceeding 46 degrees Celsius at many locations. The situation was worsened by the slow arrival of the southwest monsoon, which offered no immediate relief.

The highest temperatures reached between 44 and 47 degrees Celsius in parts of Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi, as well as some areas of Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

From March 1 to June 9, Odisha had the most heatwave days in the country totalling 27 days, followed by western Rajasthan with 23 days. West Bengal experienced 21 heatwave days, while Haryana, Delhi, and western Uttar Pradesh had 20 days. Western Madhya Pradesh had 19 heatwave days, and Gujarat and eastern Rajasthan had 17 days each.

On Thursday, Buxar in Bihar registered the highest temperature in the country at 47.2 degrees Celsius, which was 8.9 degrees higher than the usual maximum temperature for this time of year.

Monsoon to arrive soon

According to the IMD forecast for the next two weeks, monsoon rains across the country have been 4 per cent below normal so far this season. Northwest India, in particular, has experienced a significant rainfall deficit of 53 per cent. Meanwhile, Southern India experienced 60 per cent more rainfall than usual from June 1 to 12.

The weather office expects conditions to support the southwest monsoon’s progress by around June 19. Forecast models indicate that the Madden-Julian Oscillation, which affects monsoon activity, will remain weak for the next two weeks. This could hinder the formation of cyclones and other convective weather patterns over the northern Indian Ocean.

The IMD said on Wednesday that the monsoon was expected to arrive in Delhi by the end of the month, around June 27.

Moreover, Dr Somnath Dutta from IMD Kolkata forecast widespread rain in five districts of North Bengal until June 18. He also predicts rain in Kolkata on June 16, 17, and 18. “Today widespread rainfall has been predicted in 5 districts of North Bengal including Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar. In North Dinajpur, there is a forecast of scattered rainfall while in Maldah and South Dinajpur, there is a prediction of isolated rainfall. In South West Bengal except Howrah, Kolkata and coastal districts, there is prediction of isolated rainfall elsewhere,” he said.