Rain, gusty winds in store today for Delhi, temperature may dip: IMD

Delhi recorded a minimum of 12.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday – four degrees above normal. Met officials say while the minimum will drop in the next few days, it is unlikely to go below the 8-degree mark

Delhi received 16.7mm rainfall overnight on Wednesday, with some areas reporting hail between 4am and 5am, Met department officials said, and predicted gusty winds over the next three days with maximum temperature of 22-23 degrees Celsius.

According to India Meteorological Department data, Safdarjung received 16.7mm rainfall between 8.30am on Tuesday and 8.30am on Wednesday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

With this spell, Safdarjung -- Delhi’s base weather station -- has recorded 18.6mm rain this month, 0.6mm more than the monthly normal of 18mm. Last year, the city received just 2.6mm rain in February, the officials said. They added that the Capital may receive more rain around February 17.

According to India Meteorological Department data, Safdarjung received 16.7mm rainfall between 8.30am on Tuesday and 8.30am on Wednesday. Lodhi Road, Ridge and Narela stations recorded 14.2mm, 11.4mm and 14.5mm of rainfall respectively during the same period.

Delhi recorded excess rainfall in January too, receiving 88.2mm during the month, which was not only four times the normal mark of 21.7mm, but also the all-time high for January in the last 121 years.

He said Delhi is now likely to see strong westerly winds in the next three days, with the maximum temperature unlikely breaching the normal mark. “The normal for this time of the year is 23 degrees, and the maximum temperature will hover around the figure for the next three days,” he said.

Delhi recorded a minimum of 12.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday – four degrees above normal. Met officials say while the minimum will drop in the next few days, it is unlikely to go below the 8-degree mark.

IMD has forecast shallow to moderate fog during the day, with the maximum and minimum hovering around 22 and 13 degrees Celsius respectively.

The spell of rain also led to an improvement in the air quality, with Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) dropping to the lower half of the ‘poor’ category with a reading of 227 on the Central Pollution Control Board’s daily 4 pm bulletin. It was 270 (poor) on Tuesday.

“AQI improved slightly due to isolated light rain in the morning, but still lies in the ‘poor’ category. For the next three days, relatively high wind speeds are likely, enhancing dispersion of pollutants leading to improvement of AQI to moderate category,” said Safar, an air quality forecasting body.