Another spell of rain likely in Delhi today; air quality remains poor

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that an active western disturbance impacting northwest India caused the rainfall

Another spell of rain was likely in Delhi on Tuesday after parts of the Capital recorded precipitation in the early hours of the day even as the air quality remained in the poor category and the mercury was expected to go up to 26°C compared to 28.2°C on Monday.

Cloudy weather in New Delhi. (HT PHOTO)

The Capital has this month received 32.5mm of rainfall. The wettest February was in 2014 with 48.8mm of rainfall.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that an active western disturbance impacting northwest India caused the rainfall. Drizzle or very light rain was also expected in isolated parts of the city on Wednesday.

Safdarjung, which is representational of Delhi’s weather, received 2.6mm of rainfall in a 24-hour period until 8:30am on Tuesday. Palam received 2.8mm, Ridge 3.7mm, and Ayanagar 3.2mm of rainfall during the same period.

Delhi recorded strong surface winds of up to 50 km per hour on Monday due to the western disturbance. Average wind speed was expected to be between 10-15 km per hour on Tuesday.

“More rain activity is likely in Punjab, Haryana, and the Himalayan region. Isolated spells may occur in some parts of Delhi after rain clouds reach the capital from these neighbouring states,” said an IMD official.

Delhi recorded an average air quality index (AQI) of 214 (poor) at 9am on Tuesday despite strong winds and rain. It was 231 (poor) at 4pm on Monday and 269 (poor) on Sunday.

On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region lifted Stage II measures of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). The GRAP Stage II warrants preventive measures such as water sprinkling on roads, mechanized sweeping, regular monitoring of construction and demolition sites, and augmentation of bus and metro fleets.