Residents of Delhi woke up to drizzle on Friday morning as a cool breeze filled the air. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow warning for light rain in Delhi. The warning requires citizens to be aware of and prepare for moderate to severe weather conditions that could cause traffic disruptions.
“Very light rain/drizzle accompanied by thundershowers is likely at most places with light rain at isolated places,” the IMD said.
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Several areas of the city are expected to experience rain throughout the day.
In its local weather report, the IMD predicted “light to moderate rainfall, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph)” for the whole of Friday.
“Daytime temperatures are likely to remain normal to below normal over the next week. No significant heat waves are expected,” it said.
In the last 24 hours, Safdarjung recorded 6.6 mm rainfall, Palam 5.4 mm, Lodhi Road 6.3 mm, Ridge 7.4 mm and Ayanagar 5.6 mm, the IMD said.
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Mercury drops in Delhi
The minimum temperature in the capital settled at 16 degrees Celsius, 0.5 degrees below normal, the meteorological agency said.
- Palam recorded a minimum temperature of 14.7 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degrees below normal
- Lodhi Road recorded 15.8 degrees Celsius, 0.8 degrees above normal
- Ridge recorded 15.1 degrees Celsius, 2.6 degrees below normal
- Ayanagar reported 16 degrees Celsius, 0.2 degrees below normal.
From hottest to wettest March
Rain and gusty winds lashed the nation’s capital on Thursday, making it the wettest March in three years. Average rainfall in the city was recorded at 9.4 mm.
Higher rainfall was last recorded in March in 2023, when the monthly total was 50.4 mm, underscoring the intensity of the current rainy season.
The change happened in just days – just 10 days ago, Delhi witnessed the hottest March week in 50 years, with temperatures soaring above 35 degrees Celsius.
Now, thanks to persistent cloud cover and occasional rainfall, Delhi’s day temperature has plummeted and the maximum temperature on Thursday touched the lowest so far this month at 26.8 degrees Celsius.
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Why the sudden shift?
The Met department attributed the current conditions to widespread thunderstorm activity in several parts of the country and gradual approach of western disturbance and induced cyclonic circulation over Haryana.
Skymet’s Mahesh Palawat told PTI that this is because the first 10 days of March saw unusually high temperatures and western disturbances were more intense. “As a result, the pre-monsoon phase has been set in advance.
Delhi AQI
Delhi’s air quality has improved significantly. The city’s AQI (Air Quality Index) reached a value of 123, placing it in the “moderate” category.
According to Central Pollution Control Board data, 27 monitoring stations recorded “moderate” air quality, 15 fell under the “satisfactory” category, while one station, Burari Crossing, reported “severe” levels.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “good”, 51 to 100 “satisfactory”, 101 to 200 “moderate”, 201 to 300 “poor”, 301 to 400 “very poor” and 401 to 500 “severe”.
