Delhi likely to witness rainfall tonight and tomorrow; mercury still on the rise

The impact of the western disturbance will be seen on Wednesday night, while peak activity is expected during the day on Thursday

NEW DELHI: With another active western disturbance set to influence the region, Delhi could expect drizzles tonight, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) also forecasting a spell of light rain on Thursday. Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 26 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, which is likely to touch 28 degrees Celsius during the day, the met department said.

A rainy morning in Delhi late last month. (PTI Photo)

Meanwhile, the national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 9.6 degrees Celsius on Tuesday – three notches below normal. Forecast for today shows the minimum temperature will hover around the 10 degrees Celsius-mark, while the maximum could touch 28 degrees Celsius in parts of Delhi.

“Another western disturbance is expected to bring very light rain activity, along with surface winds of 25 to 35 km/hr. The impact of the western disturbance will be seen on Wednesday night, while peak activity is expected during the day on Thursday,” said RK Jenamani, scientist at IMD.

Delhi saw February end with the average maximum temperature at 24.2 degrees Celsius, while the normal monthly average is 23.9 degrees. Met officials however say the temperature is expected to be on the rise in the coming days, despite this rain spell, and could touch the 30 degrees Celsius-mark by March 7.

“February saw seven western disturbances, which meant the temperature did not spike too much during the day. We will now see this spike in the next seven days and the maximum could touch the 30 degrees Celsius-mark for the first time this season,” Jenamani added.

In terms of air quality, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) is back on the rise and was recorded at 200 (moderate) at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. It was 170 (moderate) at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

An AQI of 51 to 100 is classified as ‘satisfactory’, from 101 to 200 as ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 as ‘poor’, 301 to 400 as ‘very poor’ and over 401 as ‘severe’, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s AQI.

“AQI is in the upper end of the ‘moderate’ category on Tuesday. For the next three days (March 2-4), AQI is likely to degrade to the ‘poor’ category as wind speeds are likely to be low or moderate, weakening ventilation. However, clear sky conditions enhance convection and mixing layer height, leading to an increase in ventilation and this net effect could keep AQI in the ‘poor’ category,” said Safar, an air quality forecasting body.