Coolest May in Delhi: Western disturbances in the month of May kept the national capital of Delhi cool largely. In fact the city experienced its coolest May since 1987. The average maximum temperature for the month remained at 36.8 degrees Celsius (°C) — more than three notches below the long period average (LPA) for May, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. It even experienced fog last month, first time in 41 years.
In comparison, the average maximum temperature in Delhi for May in 1987 was 36° C.
A western disturbance refers to an area of “disturbed” or reduced air pressure, moving from the west to the east, carrying with it moisture associated with rainfall, snowfall and fog in northern India.
Gusty winds, overcast skies, rain bring down temperature
These weather systems led to gusty winds, overcast skies, and intermittent rain, and brought down the city’s temperature considerably. In fact, the maximum mercury breached the 40-degree mark on only nine occasions this May.
In May 2022 Delhi had an average monthly maximum of 40.1°C, and the maximum temperature breached the 40-degree mark on 19 occasions, while in 2021, the monthly maximum average was 37.5°C, though the day’s high breached the 40-degree mark on only seven occasions.
The gusty winds and rain also led to a marked drop in the minimum temperature, which averaged at 22.2°C — the lowest in 12 years, and 3.6 degrees below the LPA for May, IMD data showed.
Lowest maximum temperature
Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD, said, “This May saw the lowest monthly maximum temperature for Delhi since 1987. The average monthly minimum is the lowest in at least 12 years, with minimum data not readily available before 2011.”
Srivastava added, “The month started with two western disturbances in the first and second week, a third in the middle of May, and now two towards the end of the month. Each spell had gusty winds of speeds of around 50 kmph, and even when it did not rain much, we still had overcast conditions for large parts of the day.”
Meanwhile, the IMD issued a yellow alert for Delhi for Thursday, with chances of light rain and gusty winds of up to 50 kmph being expected. The maximum temperature is likely to be around 33°C, while the minimum will be around 21°C.
The Met department data also revealed that this year, the Capital logged its warmest day on May 22, when the mercury touched 43.7°C. However, the city did not record a single heatwave day this month. Isolated parts of Delhi recorded heatwave conditions in brief spells between May 12-16, and later between May 21 and 23.
In comparison, the city recorded four heatwave days in May 2022.
Delhi experiences fog in May
This May, Delhi also recorded fog, something it had not witnessed in the summer month for several decades. Visibility dropped to 100m at Palam on May 4, which was the Capital’s coldest morning in 41 years. The day recorded a minimum temperature of just 15.8°C. The last time Delhi had recorded a lower minimum at Safdarjung was on May 2, 1982, when it was 15.2°C.
Delhi ended the month with 111mm of rainfall, making it the fourth wettest May for Delhi between 1991 and 2023. The city only received more rain in 2002 (129.3mm), 2021 (144.8mm), and 2008 (165mm — the all-time high for May).
Pre-monsoon showers common
Srivastava said that while pre-monsoon showers are common in May because of high temperature combined with local moisture, the intensity of rain this year has been higher, largely influenced by these western disturbances.
“In 2021, Delhi received 119.3mm of rainfall in a single day due to Cyclone Tauktae. This year, the spread of rain has been more widespread and fairly even throughout the month. That has made it even cooler than 2021,” he said.
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