Sudden May 2 downpour reveals complex climate patterns shaping NCR’s extreme weather.
In the early hours of May 2, 2025, Delhi-NCR was slammed by a fierce rainstorm that killed four people, uprooted trees, flooded streets, and forced the cancellation of over 100 flights.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded 77 mm of rainfall at Safdarjung and 78 mm at Lodhi Road, all within a span of just three hours (5:15 am to 8:30 am). Alongside the heavy rain, winds gusting at 80–90 km/hr caused significant damage across the capital.
According to IMD and experts, this extreme weather was the result of a rare confluence of multiple atmospheric systems:
- A strong western disturbance from the Mediterranean region,
- Two cyclonic circulations over Rajasthan,
- And dual anti-cyclonic systems one over the Arabian Sea, and another along India’s eastern coast.
These systems clashed over northwestern India, generating the perfect storm for chaos. IMD had forecasted such activity as early as April 30, anticipating thunderstorms, lightning, and winds across Delhi and surrounding states.
Western disturbances normally seen in winter are becoming more frequent during summer, likely intensified by climate change, say experts. Add to that local factors like land heating and high humidity, and the result is a volatile, fast-forming storm system.
What added more fuel to the storm? According to Prof. Raghu Murtugudde, a climate scientist at IIT Bombay, a persistent anticyclone over the Arabian Sea “gave the western disturbance a booster shot.” A second anticyclone over the east coast, shaped by cross-equatorial winds, further intensified the weather pattern.
The backdrop to all of this is a neutral ENSO (El Niño–Southern Oscillation) condition shifting toward La Niña, a phase that strengthens easterly winds, making thunderstorms across India more powerful. The IMD has already hinted at a possible excess monsoon this year.
With rains expected to continue for the next few days, scientists are watching closely to see how this evolving dance of cyclones, anticyclones, and global ocean patterns may shape India’s 2025 monsoon.