Delhi logs light rain, yellow alert on till Friday

Officials said that there was no alert in place for Wednesday, but this was changed to a yellow alert during the day as gusty winds started approaching the Capital

New Delhi

Visitors to Kartavya Path enjoy a spell of rain. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

Delhi on Wednesday experienced light rainfall at isolated stretches and also recorded spells of lighting accompanied by strong surface winds, prompting the authorities to issue a yellow alert for Thursday and Friday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Officials said that there was no alert in place for Wednesday, but this was changed to a yellow alert during the day as gusty winds started approaching the Capital by late afternoon. They said heavy rainfall has been recorded in many areas across the country as the southwest monsoon is likely advancing towards the Arabian Sea.

IMD predicted a partly cloudy sky for Thursday, and a generally cloudy sky towards the evening. “Very light to light rain accompanied by thunderstorm, lightning and strong surface winds during evening to night is expected. Wind speed may increase temporarily up to 30-40kmph, gusting to 50kmph, during the thunderstorm. The maximum and minimum temperatures over Delhi are likely to be in the range of 36 degrees Celsius (°C) to 38°C and 24°C to 26°C respectively,” an IMD official said.

Officials said the Capital could expect light rain on Friday and Saturday as well.

Rain and cloudy conditions since Wednesday afternoon brought down the mercury level, and winds in the evening gave the Capital a chilly feel.

The minimum temperature on Wednesday at the Safdarjung observatory, Delhi’s base weather station, was 24.8°C, about 0.3°C below normal for this time of the year, but 2.1°C more than the minimum recorded a day before. The maximum temperature was 36.5°C, which was 2.8°C below normal.

IMD has forecast the maximum to remain in the 34-36°C zone on Thursday, but then increase by a couple of degrees over the next two days. However, no heatwave condition has been predicted for the next week.

Experts said the frequent rain spells in March and April can be attributed to the western disturbances hitting the northern plains more frequently this year.

“One after another, multiple western disturbances have been hitting the northern plains that are usually restricted to the lower Himalayas by the end of March. This, combined with cyclonic circulations from the Arabian Sea and moisture from Rajasthan side, are bringing frequent rains,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet.

He said that the scattered light rainy conditions, thunderstorms and winds are likely to continue for the next four to five days and the temperature is likely to stay below normal.

The wind and rain also helped reduce pollution levels in Delhi on Wednesday as the city recorded a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 153 (“moderate”), according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s daily national bulletin. The AQI was 141 (“moderate”) the day before.

The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi has forecasted the AQI to stay in the “moderate” category until Saturday at the earliest.

“The air quality is likely to be in the moderate category from Thursday to Saturday. The outlook for the subsequent six days is that the air quality is likely to be in the moderate category,” the AQEWS bulletin said on Wednesday evening.