New Delhi to get relief from heatwave as IMD predicts late night rainfall

Relief is on the horizon for Delhi, which is likely to receive light rain late in the evening, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday.

The Safdarjung observatory, considered the official marker of the city, recorded a high of 44 degrees Celsius, four notches above the season's normal average.

According to the department, Delhi (Jafarpur, IGI Airport, Ayanagar, Deramandi) and adjoining areas of the NCR will witness thunderstorms accompanied by light to moderate intensity rain and gusty winds ranging from 30 to 50 km per hour late in the evening.

The city was under an 'orange' alert, which stands for "be prepared" in the colour codes of the IMD, during the day.

The Najafgarh weather station clocked the maximum temperature at 45.1 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.

Among Delhi's other stations, Aya Nagar recorded a high of 46.4 degrees Celsius, followed by Pusa at 45.6 degrees Celsius, Ridge 44.8 degrees Celsius and Palam 44.4 degrees Celsius, the weather office said in a bulletin.

The relative humidity oscillated between 21 per cent and 40 per cent, according to the IMD bulletin.

It has forecast partly cloudy skies with a possibility of thunderstorms and light rain or drizzle in a few places towards the afternoon and evening on Saturday.

The IMD has also predicted heatwave conditions in some areas, accompanied by strong surface winds reaching speeds of 40 to 50 km per hour on Saturday.

The capital will be in orange alert for the next five days, the IMD said.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 44 and 31 degrees Celsius, respectively.