Delhi NCR wakes up to cloudy skies; rain expected in some parts today

IMD officials said very light to light rain could occur in NCR till Tuesday, with the maximum temperature likely to dip by 1-3 degrees Celsius in most parts of the region during this period

Delhi NCR woke up to a cloudy morning on Thursday, with chances of light rain and thundershowers expected in some parts through the day, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast.

For representational purposes only. (Sanchit Khanna/HT File Photo)

Officials said very light to light rain could occur in NCR till Tuesday, with the maximum temperature likely to dip by 1-3 degrees Celsius in most parts of the region during this period.

Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD, said a western disturbance has begun influencing northwest India from today, with peak rain activity in Delhi NCR expected on Friday and Saturday.

“Today, some places across NCR may receive a drizzle, but on Friday, we will see cloudy skies at most places, along with light rain,” Srivastava said, adding that the impact of this western disturbance is likely to be prolonged than usual.

“There are chances of on-and-off very light rain in parts of Delhi till Tuesday owing to sufficient moisture being available through this western disturbance. During this period, the maximum temperature could dip to 31 degrees,” he added.

Delhi had recorded a maximum temperature of 34.3 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, making it the highest maximum so far this year. Prior to this, the highest was 34.1 degrees that was recorded on Sunday. In terms of minimum temperature, Delhi had a low of 16.3 degrees Celsius.

In comparison, the minimum temperature today was recorded at 20.6 degrees Celsius, while the maximum is expected to hover around 33 degrees.

A western disturbance refers to an area of “disturbed” or reduced air pressure, moving from the west to the east, carrying with it moisture associated with rainfall, snowfall and fog in northern India.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air remained in the poor category this morning, showing a slight deterioration over the last 24 hours. The overall air quality index (AQI) was classified as 233 (poor) at 8 am. It stood at 213 (poor) at 4 pm on Wednesday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s national bulletin. Forecasts show air quality could improve to the moderate range by the latter half of the day, owing to rain and an increase in wind speed.

An AQI reading between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.