Gurgaon continues to endure intense heat as Sunday's maximum temperature settled at 40.7 degrees Celsius, a marginal drop from 41 degrees a day earlier but still severe enough to keep residents indoors during daytime. Although no official heatwave conditions were reported, the combination of high daytime and nighttime temperatures has compounded discomfort across the city.
Temperature Details Across the Region
At NorthCap University, the mercury peaked at 41.8 degrees Celsius, slightly lower than the previous day's 42.2 degrees. In Haryana, Narnaul recorded the highest temperature at 44.2 degrees Celsius, followed by neighbouring Bopani in Faridabad at 44 degrees. The minimum temperature in Gurgaon rose to 25.9 degrees Celsius at the KVK station, while NorthCap University recorded 26.4 degrees.
Weather Change Expected from Tuesday
The India Meteorological Department has indicated relief is on the horizon. A weather change is anticipated from Tuesday, with thunderstorms and light rainfall forecast across parts of Haryana, including Gurgaon. IMD stated that such conditions are typical during the pre-monsoon transition but can intensify due to prevailing atmospheric systems.
Cause of the Shift
IMD attributes the expected shift to a western disturbance, currently observed as a trough in the middle tropospheric westerlies, along with an upper air cyclonic circulation over east Uttar Pradesh and adjoining areas. Both systems are likely to influence weather patterns in north India over the coming days.
Unusually Warm Nights
Saturday recorded the highest nighttime temperature of the season at 29 degrees Celsius — a five-degree rise over 24 hours and 7.7 notches above normal. This was recorded at the Gurgaon station, though data for Sunday was unavailable. The unusually warm night reflects a broader trend across Haryana, where minimum temperatures remained significantly above normal at most stations, compounding heatwave-like conditions during the day.
IMD warned that isolated pockets may experience heatwave and warm night conditions on Monday.
Forecast for the Week
Under the combined influence of these systems, light rainfall at isolated to scattered places accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds reaching 30-40 kmph is likely over several parts of Haryana between April 27 and May 2. For Haryana, light rain is expected at isolated places on Monday, spreading further on Tuesday, with sporadic rain thereafter. In Gurgaon, thunderstorm and lightning activity with gusty winds of 40-50 kmph is likely at isolated locations between Tuesday and Thursday, and again next weekend.
A gradual dip of 2-4 degrees Celsius in maximum temperature is expected after Tuesday, offering further respite.
Understanding Heatwave and Warm Night Criteria
IMD classifies a heatwave when the maximum temperature reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in plains and is 4.5-6.4 degrees above normal, or crosses 45 degrees irrespective of normal. A warm night is declared when the minimum temperature is 4.5-6.4 degrees above normal, subject to it being at least 24 degrees Celsius. Both parameters require a normal range for calculation.
