Delhi recorded widespread rainfall on Thursday, bringing down daytime temperatures by four to six degrees Celsius and improving the city’s air quality, while the India Meteorological Department issued a red alert for moderate to heavy showers, lightning and squally winds. Further spells of rain were forecast through Friday morning and afternoon.
Maximum temperatures settled between 27 and 28 degrees Celsius at major weather stations, according to the IMD bulletin. Safdarjung, Delhi’s base station, recorded 15.9 mm of rainfall, while the Ridge weather station received the highest amount at 25.2 mm. Lodi Road recorded 20 mm, followed by Palam at 11.2 mm and Ayanagar at 7.2 mm.
The rainfall also brought a short-term improvement in the Capital’s air quality. Delhi’s Air Quality Index stood at 149 on Thursday, compared with 181 a day earlier. The change came as rain and strong surface winds dispersed pollutants across the city, although the IMD forecast indicated that weather conditions would continue to shift through the next day.
The weather department attributed the spell to multiple systems affecting northern and central India. These included a Western Disturbance persisting as a cyclonic circulation over north Punjab and nearby areas, an upper-air cyclonic circulation over south Haryana and its neighbourhood, and a low-pressure area extending from northeast Uttar Pradesh to the east-central Arabian Sea across East Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Surface winds across Delhi reached speeds of 20 to 30 kmph, with gusts rising to between 50 and 60 kmph, IMD officials said. Such conditions accompanied the rainfall across the Capital and prompted the weather department’s warning about lightning and squally winds.
The Regional Meteorological Centre forecast generally cloudy skies during Thursday night, with continued spells of light rain, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds. Winds on Friday were expected to blow at 40 to 50 kmph, with gusts reaching up to 60 kmph. The forecast indicated that similar conditions would continue through Friday morning and noon before gradually tapering off.
The weather bulletin said skies were likely to clear as the weekend approached. Daytime temperatures were expected to rise gradually to between 31 and 33 degrees Celsius after the rain system weakened. The IMD’s next forecast updates will determine how long the warnings for rain, lightning and strong winds remain in force.
