Rain along with thunderstorms is expected to continue over northwest India on Thursday, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). The weather department also forecasted heatwave conditions over Bihar and West Bengal during the next three days.
Yellow alerts have been issued for Delhi and Bengaluru for the coming days. As per IMD, Karnataka is expected to receive heavy rain till June 4 and a yellow alert has been issued to eight districts, including Bengaluru.
The weather agency also said that another western disturbance is likely to approach India’s northern plains, including Delhi, in the coming days, bringing with it storms and rain.
Delhi records the coolest May in 36 years
Delhi recorded its coolest May in 36 years with excess rainfall bringing the average maximum temperature down to 36.8 degrees Celsius this time, according to IMD.
Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the regional forecasting centre of IMD, said Delhi had recorded an average maximum temperature of 36 degrees Celsius in May 1987. “The average maximum temperature of 36.8 degrees Celsius in May this year is the lowest since then," he said.
Delhi recorded maximum temperatures above the 40-degree mark for just nine days in May with heatwave conditions affecting some parts of the national capital for two days.
This is also the fourth highest rainfall in the month after 165 mm in 2008, 144.8 mm in 2021 and 129.3 mm in 2002, according to IMD data. The city logged more than 20 mm of rainfall in April, the highest in the month since 2017, and heat wave conditions at isolated pockets.
Meteorologists attributed the excess rainfall and below-normal temperatures this pre-monsoon season (March to May) to higher-than-usual western disturbances — weather systems that originate in the Mediterranean region and bring unseasonal rainfall to northwest India.
Yellow Alert In Bengaluru
IMD predicted heavy rain in Bengaluru till June 4 and a yellow alert has been issued to eight districts, including Bengaluru.
Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Kodagu and Shivamogga districts are districts where the yellow alert has been sounded. The agency has also predicted average rainfall in Udupi, Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Kalaburgi, Raichur, Chamarajanagar, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru and Vijayanagara districts.
The weather agency said scattered rainfall over South interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh will occur during the next 5 days.
Monsoon Likely To Hit Mumbai Next Week
Mumbaikars may get relief from heat and humidity, as southwest monsoon may approach Mumbai on June 11, Times of India reported quoting independent and private meteorologists, who suggested the city can expect pre-monsoon thundershowers in the coming week.
Heatwave in Bihar, West Bengal
Meanwhile, heatwave conditions are also predicted over several parts of east India. As per IMD, heat wave conditions are very likely in isolated pockets over Bihar till June 4; Gangetic West Bengal till June 2 and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal today.
Due to humid air and high temperature, hot and discomfort weather is very likely over Konkan, Goa and Gujarat today.
Wet Spell Continues in Haryana, Punjab
Many parts of Haryana and Punjab received a fresh spell of rain, keeping the minimum temperature below the season’s normal, the weather department said on Thursday. In the past 24 hours ending at 8:30 am Thursday, Chandigarh, Ambala, Hisar, Narnaul, Rohtak, Bhiwani, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Gurdaspur, Mohali and Rupnagar received rains, it said.
Rains have lashed many parts of the two states and Chandigarh intermittently for the past two weeks and both maximum and minimum temperatures have been hovering below normal limits.
