May Day is set to arrive with India’s skies in no mood to cooperate. From dust-laden winds barrelling through Delhi to thunderstorms crackling over Bihar and Jharkhand, and record-breaking rain refusing to let Bengaluru dry out, Friday, May 1 is shaping up to be one of the most weather-active days of the pre-monsoon season.
Multiple weather systems are simultaneously at work across the country.
A Western Disturbance lurking over northern India, cyclonic circulations churning over eastern states, and a wind discontinuity slicing through the south. The result is a patchwork of extreme weather that will affect millions of people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. If you are stepping out tomorrow, here is exactly what the sky has in store for you.
WHAT WILL DELHI’S WEATHER BE LIKE ON MAY 1?
After tonight’s dust-cum-thunderstorm, Delhi will get a brief pause on May 1. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts a partly cloudy sky across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), including Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad.
No widespread rain or thunderstorms are expected through the day. Maximum temperatures will hover between 39 and 41 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, with minimums around 23 to 26 degrees Celsius.
Winds will shift from south-easterly in the morning to north-westerly by afternoon, blowing at 15 to 20 kilometres per hour. The brief lull will not last.
A fresh Western Disturbance, a weather system originating over the Mediterranean that travels eastwards and brings rainfall to northern India, is expected to arrive on May 2.
Peak activity is forecast between May 4 and 6, when stronger winds and rain could return to the capital.
WILL IT RAIN IN EAST INDIA ON MAY 1?
Yes, and heavily. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and the north-eastern states are forecast to receive light to moderate rain with heavy spells.
Two cyclonic circulations, which are areas of rotating, low-pressure winds, are feeding moisture into the region.
One sits over south-east Uttar Pradesh, another over north-east Bangladesh. Lightning and gusty winds remain a real risk. Residents must avoid open fields, tall trees and elevated areas during storms.
HOW WILL SOUTH INDIA’S WEATHER BE ON MAY 1?
Bengaluru, which recorded a record 111 millimetres of rain on April 29, will continue to receive pre-monsoon showers.
Kerala and interior Tamil Nadu are also forecast to see light to moderate rain and thunderstorms. A wind discontinuity, which is a boundary where two opposing winds meet and push air upwards, is triggering storms and stretching from Telangana to the Gulf of Mannar.
It is pushing moist southerly winds deep inland, sustaining the activity for another four to five days.
Across the country, temperatures are expected to remain below extreme levels through the first week of May, with a broader clearance only likely in the second half of the month.
