Rain returns to Delhi after prolonged dry spell; IMD issues yellow alert for two days

During the 24-hour period ending 8.30am on Tuesday, Naraina recorded the highest rainfall at 22mm, followed by Pusa at 20mm.

Monsoon showers returned to Delhi on Monday night and Tuesday morning more than a week after an almost complete absence of rainfall, bringing down temperatures across the city even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast more rain over the next two days.

Light showers bring relief from the humid weather in New Delhi. (Arvind Yadav/ HT Photo)

During the 24-hour period ending 8.30am on Tuesday, Naraina recorded the highest rainfall at 22mm, followed by Pusa at 20mm, Chhattarpur at 19mm and the Ridge at 18.6mm. Ayanagar received 17.4mm of rain, followed by Palam at 15mm, Janakpuri at 14mm and Lodhi Road at 12.2mm. Safdarjung, the city’s base weather station, recorded 10.6mm of rainfall during the period, while Jafarpur received 9.5mm and both Mayur Vihar and Najafgarh recorded 4.5mm.

The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Delhi on Tuesday and Wednesday, forecasting multiple spells of light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds at most places till noon, with heavy rainfall likely at isolated locations. It has also predicted ‘one or two’ spells of very light to light rain during the remainder of the day. A similar forecast has been issued for Wednesday.

For Thursday, the weather department has forecast light to moderate rain in the morning, and another spell between afternoon and evening, although no weather alert has been issued for the day so far. Very light to light rain is likely on Friday, while no rainfall has been forecast from Saturday to Monday.

According to the IMD, rainfall up to 15.5mm is classified as light, 15.6mm to 64.4mm as moderate, 64.5mm to 115.5mm as heavy and 115.6mm to 204.4mm as very heavy.

The rainfall has also led to a sharp drop in temperatures. Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 31.6 degrees Celsius on Monday, 6.7 degrees below Sunday’s maximum of 38.8 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature is expected to remain between 29 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius on Tuesday before gradually rising from Wednesday to reach 33 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius by Sunday.

The showers also improved the city’s air quality. The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 83 at 11.05am on Tuesday, placing it in the “satisfactory” category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI between 0 and 50 is classified as “good”, 51-100 as “satisfactory”, 101-200 as “moderate”, 201-300 as “poor”, 301-400 as “very poor” and 401-500 as “severe”.