3 min readMay 25, 2026 10:33 PM IST
After another punishing spell of heat, Delhi is likely to see very light to light rain, thunderstorms and dust storms later this week even as the city recorded its hottest May night in 14 years on Monday. The Capital also saw a new record on Monday as it clocked the highest-ever peak power demand of 8,439 megawatt (MW). The peak power demand is expected to cross 9,000 MW this summer, said officials.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 32.4 degrees Celsius on Monday, 5.7 degrees above normal. This was the highest minimum temperature recorded in May since May 27, 2012, when the minimum temperature had shot up to 34.2 degrees Celsius.
The maximum temperature at Safdarjung settled at 43.5 degrees Celsius, around 3.3 degrees above normal.
The IMD said warm night conditions were recorded at many places in the city as minimum temperatures rose by 3-6 degrees Celsius during the past 24 hours. The minimum temperatures across the city remained in the 30-32 degrees Celsius range, while maximum temperatures stayed around 43-44 degrees Celsius.
However, some relief is expected with the weather department forecasting very light to light rain accompanied by thunderstorm, lightning, dust storm and strong surface winds reaching 40-50 kmph, occasionally gusting to 60 kmph, towards early Tuesday.
A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect Northwest India from May 28, bringing another spell of rain activity to the Capital. The IMD has forecast very light to light rain with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph, reaching 60 kmph, on May 28 evening or night.
The rain spell is expected to bring a sharp fall in temperatures. According to the IMD, maximum temperatures are likely to remain largely unchanged till May 27 before falling by 7-8 degrees Celsius thereafter. Minimum temperatures are also expected to remain high till May 28 before falling by 5-7 degrees Celsius.
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From May 29 to May 31, the Capital is expected to see generally cloudy skies with very light to light rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds. The maximum temperature may drop to 35-37 degrees Celsius on May 29 and further to 34-36 degrees Celsius on May 30, while minimum temperatures may fall to 24-26 degrees Celsius by the weekend.
Meanwhile, official data shows that the power demand has already crossed the 8,000 MW-mark four times within the last six days.
According to State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) data, between May 1 to 25, Delhi’s peak power demand was higher than the corresponding days in 2025 on 20 out of 25 days (around 80%).
Compared to 2024, Delhi’s peak demand in 2026 was higher on 18 out of 25 days — around 72% of the days.
