Typical May Heat Stay At Bay For Delhi, Rain-Showers To Continue Beyond Weekend
May 8, 2025, 12:56 PM | Skymet Weather Team
Mercury Hovering Below 40°C In Delhi, Patchy Rain Likely to Continue | Image: AI-Skymet
Delhi has had an unusually long spell of below-normal temperatures in the month of May so far. Base station Safdarjung recorded a maximum temperature of 36.5°C yesterday, about 3°C below the normal and a shade higher than the previous day. Palam and Lodhi Road observatories recorded highs of 35°C and 35.2°C, respectively. Today, the temperature may rise up to 37°C at record station Safdarjung.
The month of May has remained comfortable so far. The day temperature is yet to breach the mark of 40°C, and the highest in the first week was 38.6°C on the first day of the month. But there was an immediate drop the next day to 29.1°C. The reason was a heavy downpour across most parts of the city. The mean temperature for the first week has been 34.8°C against its average of 39°C.
There is no likelihood of the temperature reaching 40°C during the next one week. This is an unusual pattern wherein the first half of the month stays under 40°C. It is somewhat similar to May 2023, when the first 40°C of the month was recorded on 12th May 2023, and the highest for the month was 43.7°C on 23rd May. Last year, the month of May was the hottest in the last two decades, and the highest temperature climbed to 46.8°C on 30th May 2024.
There is a cyclonic circulation marked in the lower levels over Northeast Rajasthan and Northwest Madhya Pradesh, in the close vicinity of Delhi. An east-west trough from the system runs very close to Delhi and extends further up to Uttar Pradesh. The trough is likely to remain close to the capital city for 48 hours and then shift northward across the foothills of Uttarakhand and West Uttar Pradesh. The proximity of this trough will trigger patchy rain and showers over Delhi and suburbs between 08th and 12th May 2025.
Subsequently, the chances of rain and thundershowers reduce substantially; yet, isolated, light, brief, and fleeting spells cannot be ruled out till 14 May 2025. A broad clearance can be expected from 15th May onwards. Heat stress is unlikely to build up till the second week of the month.
