Delhi gets respite from heat as light rain lowers temp by up to 10 deg C

Delhi gets respite from heat as light rain lowers temp by up to 10 deg C

New Delhi, Delhi saw an unusual spell of rain on Friday evening, as a blanket of clouds rained light to moderate showers, bringing down temperatures by 7-10 degrees in several places.

Delhi gets respite from heat as light rain lowers temp by up to 10 deg C

The India Meteorological Department has upgraded its yellow alert to orange, expecting moderate rainfall, thunderstorms and lightning, along with winds of up to 40-60 kmph, during the night.

According to IMD data, Jafarpur recorded a fall of 8.6 degrees Celsius , while Narayana saw the steepest drop of 10.1 degrees Celsius .

Janakpuri and Pusa recorded declines of 7.9 degrees Celsius and 9.1 degrees Celsius, respectively, with Pusa also reporting the highest wind speed of 48 kmph.

Pragati Maidan, Jharoda Kalan and Najafgarh saw moderate falls ranging between 6.2 and 6.6 degrees Celsius. Pitampura recorded a smaller drop of 4.3 degrees Celsius, while Lodi Road saw a 9.1 degrees Celsius fall, along with 6.5 mm rainfall.

Ayanagar recorded a fall of 8.9 degrees Celsius, and Mayur Vihar 7.4 degrees Celsius, along with 2 mm rainfall.

However, during the day, the city continued to experience the summer heat, recording this year's hottest day with the maximum temperature settling at 41 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, the city's base observatory.

The national capital recorded above-normal maximum temperatures across stations, with Palam registering a high of 40 degrees Celsius, 2.6 degrees above normal.

Ridge recorded a maximum of 40.2 degrees Celsius, 2.2 degrees above normal, Lodi Road at 39.4 degrees Celsius, 3.4 degrees above normal, and Ayanagar at 39.9 degrees Celsius, 2.2 degrees above normal.

Minimum temperatures also remained above normal at most stations, with Safdarjung recording a low of 24 degrees Celsius, 2.4 degrees above normal, while Palam settled at 25 degrees Celsius, 3.2 degrees above normal.

Ridge reported a minimum of 24.7 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degrees above normal, Lodi Road 22.4 degrees Celsius, 1.4 degrees above normal, and Ayanagar 22.8 degrees Celsius, 0.7 degrees above normal.

"Temperatures are expected to rise further across Delhi-NCR and northwest India over the next two to three days, potentially touching 41 to 42 degrees Celsius and leading to isolated heatwave conditions," Mahesh Palawat of Skymet told PTI.

For Saturday, the forecast indicates a partly cloudy sky, with the maximum temperature likely around 41 degrees Celsius and the minimum around 21 degrees Celsius.

The city's air quality remained in the 'poor' category, with the Air Quality Index recorded at 263.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board , an AQI between 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.

Meteorologists said haziness and cloud cover over Delhi-NCR in the morning hours were due to an induced cyclonic circulation over western Rajasthan and adjoining Pakistan.

"Dust particles from these areas have travelled towards Delhi-NCR, resulting in a layer of dust haze and deterioration in air quality," Palawat said, adding that thunderstorm and light rain activity in parts of Rajasthan has also been influencing the city's weather.

Palawat said pollution levels were elevated on Friday morning due to dust influx and stagnant conditions before winds picked up later in the day.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.