Overnight shower brings down Delhi's temperature, coldest October day in 4 years; more rain likely today

The minimum temperature on Thursday was 19.2°C, recording a rise of 3.5°C from the minimum recorded the day before and 3.1°C above normal.

The interaction of a western disturbance with Cyclone Arnab brought isolated spells of light to moderate rainfall across the city, which led a sharp drop in maximum temperature in the Capital. The maximum temperature on Thursday was 25.4 degrees Celsius (°C), which marked a drop of 6.4°C from the maximum recorded the day before and was the lowest maximum for the month over the past four years, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Light rain falls along Vikas Marg near ITO i in New Delhi, India, on Thursday, October 29, 2026. (Raj K Raj/HT photo)

It was a day of sharp temperature swings, as the minimum temperature on Thursday was 19.2°C, recording a rise of 3.5°C from the minimum recorded the day before and 3.1°C above normal.

Mahesh Palawat, vice-president of meteorology and climate change at Skymet Weather, said, “The change in weather is due to the interaction of Cyclone Arnab with a western disturbance. There is going to be rainfall on Friday also, but the intensity will be lesser. The skies will clear up from Saturday. However, while the day temperature will rise, the minimum temperature will show a dip.”

Overcast conditions dominated Delhi’s skyline throughout the day, with rainfall picking up pace in the afternoon and evening. Heaviest spells of rainfall were reported in Jharoda Kalan and Pitampura, respectively recording 53mm and 6mm, up to 8.30pm. Safdarjung, the city’s base weather station, received 0.9mm of rainfall until 8.30pm.

The city’s 24-hour average air quality index at 4pm was 222, in the “poor” category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB’s) daily bulletin. However, favourable atmospheric conditions served to improve the AQI to a “moderate” level of 197 by 10pm.

Farm fires in Punjab and Haryana continued to contribute to the seasonal pollution burden, with 157 farm fires detected on the day. The cumulative count of farm fires between October 1 and October 28 stood at 905, according to the satellite data.