Residents in Gurgaon, in Delhi’s NCR, woke up to a cloudy, breezy morning on Sunday with temperature hovering around 26 degree Celsius — an unusual condition for the month of May when north experiences hot and sultry weather. The climate in the area has been quite pleasant for over a week now, beginning with heavy showers as an after effect of Cyclone Tauktae that hit Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted thunderstorm with light to moderate intensity rain in Rewari, Bhiwadi, Manesar and adjoining areas — barely 50 kilometres from Gurgaon. The same prediction has been made for Narnaul, Bawal and Fatehabad in Haryana, and Kotputly, Khairthal and Rajgarh in Rajasthan. Some areas in Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh may also experience light rains.
Delhi weather on May 20 witnessed a drastic change with record rainfall, the highest single-day rain since 1976. But what’s leading to this windy and rainy weather in the month of May?
Why is it raining in Delhi-NCR in May?
Weather experts say that it is an after effect of Cyclone Tauktae, one of the strongest cyclones to have been recorded in the Arabian Sea. Post its landfall in Gujarat, it weakened and its remnants moved in the north-northeast direction from the western coast towards Delhi. Following this event, a western disturbance has been reported in Jammu and Kashmir.
This disturbance has affected the Union territory, Ladakh and their adjoining areas, bringing isolated snow/rain and thunderstorms this weekend and into the next week. The phenomenon is also impacting other states in north India.
The Weather Channel stated that during the forecast period, the maximum temperatures will be 4 to 8 degree Celsius lower than average along the northern plains.
Is it an Unusual event?
According to a report in Indian Express, May — which is generally a dry month — has not recorded more than 27mm of rain in total since at least 2011 except in 2014 when it touched 100.2mm. The average amount of rainfall expected in May in the capital is 31.5mm
The report further stated that it is rare for a cyclone to make its impact felt in Delhi, and more so at the same time when a western disturbance is active.
Times When Delhi-NCR Has Witnessed Heavy Rainfall
Rains in the month of May is definitely unusual for the national capital and its adjoining areas. But it’s normal for the region to witness such weather during monsoon, which may make its impact felt in the month of June.
Rainfall below 15mm is categorised as light, whereas moderate is between 15mm and 65mm and heavy is above 65mm. On July 19 last year, the city recorded 74.8mm of rain in 24 hours, which brought it to a standstill. In some parts of the capital, the amount of rainfall was over 80mm, reported IE.
On August 13, south Delhi’s Ayanagar recorded 99.2 mm of rain in 24 hours and four other IMD observatories in Delhi recorded over 70mm. The average amount of rain expected during July and August in Delhi is 187.3mm and 232.5mm, as per the IMD’s climatological data, the report further stated.
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