Light drizzles, windy conditions in Delhi; IMD predicts more rain in next 24 hrs

According to IMD, Narela, Bawana, Alipur, Burari, Rohini, Badili, Karawal Nagar, Safdarjung, Lodi Road are among the places that received light to moderate rainfall in the afternoon

Delhi experienced a light drizzle, accompanied by cool breeze and an overcast sky on Wednesday amid foggy day conditions, as officials at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast more precipitation in the next 24 hours.

Commuters during a sudden spell of rain at Connaught Place in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Sanjeev Verma/ HT Photo)

According to IMD, Narela, Bawana, Alipur, Burari, Rohini, Badili, Karawal Nagar, Safdarjung, Lodi Road are among the places that received light to moderate rainfall in the afternoon.

“Delhi will continue to experience a generally cloudy sky throughout Wednesday. There will be light rainfall or thundershowers, accompanied by gusty winds at most places,” a MeT official said.

Dense fog enveloped the national capital in the early hours of the day, causing disruption in flight operations as visibility dropped to zero at some places for almost four hours, from 5am to 9am. According to airport authorities, more than 50 flights were delayed and five were diverted due to fog – three to Jaipur, one to Ahmedabad and one to Mumbai – between 9.30pm on Tuesday and 7am on Wednesday.

Even as the cold spell in Delhi started to ease, with the minimum temperature rising to 7.3 degrees Celsius today morning, air quality continued to stay in the ‘very poor’ category. The average Air Quality index (AQI) was recorded at 391 (very poor) at 3pm, just short of ‘severe’. The 24-hour average AQI was 357 (very poor) on Tuesday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

“While the dense layer of fog dissipated into a moderate layer, cloud cover will persist throughout the day,” an IMD official said.

Meanwhile, the IMD has forecast the maximum temperature to stay around 20 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, as compared to Tuesday’s 21.4 degrees Celsius. Met officials have also forecast dense fog on Thursday, with a possibility of a light drizzle.