Delhi-NCR gets rain respite after capital sees record 52.3°C heat

Delhi rain: Delhi-NCR experienced a much-needed respite from the sweltering heat as rain showers brought relief to the region after the national capital recorded its highest-ever temperature.

On Wednesday, Mungeshpur, a locality in northwest Delhi, logged an unprecedented maximum temperature of 52.3 degrees Celsius, the highest ever recorded in the capital, officials confirmed.

This scorching heatwave follows Tuesday's extreme temperatures, where the same weather station in Mungeshpur recorded 49.9 degrees Celsius.

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The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), meanwhile, has announced significant progress in the advancement of the Southwest Monsoon, with conditions highly favourable for the monsoon to onset over Kerala within the next 24 hours. This development is expected to trigger further advancement into additional parts of the South Arabian Sea, the remaining parts of the Maldives and Comorin area, some parts of the Lakshadweep area, as well as more regions of the Southwest and Central Bay of Bengal, Northeast Bay of Bengal, and parts of the Northeastern states.

A fresh western disturbance is likely to cause isolated to scattered light rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning over Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh from May 29 to June 2, and over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad from May 29 to 31. The plains of Northwest India may experience isolated light rainfall from May 30 to June 2, while duststorms are very likely over Rajasthan from May 31 to June 2.

A cyclonic circulation currently over northeast Assam and its neighbouring areas is expected to cause fairly widespread to widespread light to moderate rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim over the next seven days.

Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim over the next five days. Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura are expected to receive heavy rainfall on May 29 and 30, with extremely heavy rainfall predicted over Meghalaya today.

Isolated to scattered light to moderate rainfall is forecast for Bihar, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, and Odisha over the next five days. This rainfall will be accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds from May 31 to June 2, signalling the spread of pre-monsoon showers in these regions.