Gurgaon witnessed the lowest minimum temperature in Haryana at 20 degrees Celsius on Friday, as a spell of rain and thunderstorms provided relief from the prevailing heat. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the city experienced one of the sharpest overnight drops in temperature, with the mercury falling by 7 degrees Celsius in the past 24 hours.
Temperature Plunge
The minimum temperature dropped from 26.4 degrees Celsius on May 28 to 20 degrees Celsius on May 29, making Gurgaon the coolest location in the state. This temperature was 5.9 degrees Celsius below normal for this time of year. The relief was also evident during the day, with the maximum temperature recorded at 34.4 degrees Celsius on Friday, a sharp decline of 4.4 degrees Celsius from 38.8 degrees Celsius on Thursday and more than 9 degrees Celsius lower than the 43.5 degrees Celsius recorded on May 27. This dramatic turnaround follows a week of unusually warm weather, where minimum temperatures were as high as 32.6 degrees Celsius on May 21 and maximum temperatures remained above 40 degrees Celsius on most days.
Rainfall and Cooling Trend
Rainfall accompanied the cooling trend. The IMD observatory in Gurgaon recorded 3.5 mm of rainfall during the past 24 hours, while a city automatic weather station logged 7 mm. Across Haryana, the average minimum temperature fell by 2.8 degrees Celsius compared with Thursday and remained 1.9 degrees Celsius below normal, according to the Meteorological Centre, Chandigarh. Besides Gurgaon, Bhiwani also recorded a 7-degree Celsius decline in minimum temperature.
Weather Alerts
While residents woke up to the coolest morning of the month, the weather department warned of another round of thunderstorm activity over south Haryana. The IMD has placed Gurgaon, Nuh, Rewari, Mahendragarh and several adjoining districts under an orange alert for Saturday, warning of severe thunderstorms, lightning, squalls and hailstorm activity. Under the orange alert category, wind speeds of 60-80 kmph, gusting up to 90 kmph, are likely at isolated places. The district-wise forecast shows much of south Haryana under the highest warning category, labelled "Take Action". Several central and western districts remain under an orange alert, while northern and eastern districts have been placed under a yellow alert for thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds.
In its latest nowcast issued at 6:20 pm, valid till 9:20 pm, the IMD retained the red alert over large parts of south Haryana, including Gurgaon district. The warning covers Gurgaon, Sohna, Pataudi, Taoru, Nuh, Rewari, Bawal, Kosli, Mahendragarh, Narnaul, Ateli, Palwal, Hodal, Punhana and Ferozepur Jhirka, where severe thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and wind speeds of 60-80 kmph are likely. Districts immediately north of the red alert zone, including parts of Rohtak, Jhajjar, Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri, remain under an orange alert for moderate thunderstorms and winds of 40-60 kmph, while northern districts are under a yellow alert.
Expert Analysis
Weather expert Navdeep Dhaiya said the thunderstorm system that brought rain to Delhi-NCR and Haryana overnight shifted eastwards towards Bihar and Jharkhand. However, fresh convective activity was expected to develop over northwest India during the evening and night, potentially triggering another round of thunderstorms across Gurgaon and adjoining districts. By Friday evening, isolated parts of Gurgaon witnessed brief spells of rain lasting less than 10 minutes. Areas including Udyog Vihar, MG Road and Shankar Chowk received light showers, accompanied by dark clouds and gusty winds. However, by 7:15 pm, no widespread rainfall, thunderstorm activity or strong winds was witnessed in most parts of the city despite the red alert remaining in force. Weather officials said localised thunderstorm development could still occur during the night hours.
Outlook
According to the department's five-day outlook, weather warnings remain in place for May 29 and May 30, while no warning has been issued for May 31, June 1 and June 2, indicating a gradual stabilisation of weather conditions thereafter. The sharp cooling has effectively ended the heatwave-like conditions that prevailed earlier this week, bringing the coolest night and one of the coolest days of the month to Gurgaon. Whether the forecast thunderstorms materialise later in the evening will determine if the city receives another round of weather relief before conditions begin stabilising over the weekend.
