‘Rainy weekend in store for Capital, days may get colder’

The Safdarjung station, taken as the base for Delhi’s weather, recorded a maximum temperature of 19.1 degrees Celsius on Thursday – two notches below normal, with cold day conditions abating in Delhi.

The Capital will receive rain over the weekend as a fresh western disturbance influences the region, with the maximum temperature also expected to drop after the showers, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, even as the city saw some respite from the “cold day” conditions on Thursday.

Pigeons take flight on a foggy morning in the outskirts of Dwarka in New Delhi. (Vipin Kumar / HT Photo)

The Safdarjung station, taken as the base for Delhi’s weather, recorded a maximum temperature of 19.1 degrees Celsius on Thursday – two notches below normal, with cold day conditions abating in Delhi. The maximum is however, expected to drop to 16°C by Saturday, with rain forecast for Friday night, Saturday and Sunday as well.

“The maximum has risen again due to the western disturbance, with the maximum hovering at 18 to 19°C at most stations now. It will remain around 19°C on Friday, before a drizzle is seen towards the evening and at night. Peak rain activity, in the form of light showers, will hit Delhi on Saturday, leading to a drop in the maximum to 15-16°C,” said RK Jenamani, scientist at IMD.

Parts of Delhi also received a drizzle late on Wednesday night. While ‘trace’ rainfall was recorded at Palam and Ridge stations till 8.30am on Thursday, 0.5mm was recorded at Pitampura.

Safdarjung, however, received no rainfall. The Met’s predictions mean that it could, however, add to the 63.6mm of rainfall received so far this month, with chances that the city crosses the 1995 record reading of 69.8mm rainfall for January.

The western disturbance kept temperatures in Delhi warmer than previous days.

While Safdarjung had a high of 19.1°C on Thursday, the lowest maximum recorded in Delhi was in Narela at 15.5°C. In terms of minimum temperature, Delhi recorded a low of 9.8°C – three above normal.

Delhi’s relative humidity has also remained high in the last 24 hours, oscillating between 66 and 98%.

This high moisture content led to Delhi’s pollution levels worsening, with the air quality index (AQI) touching 387 (very poor) according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) daily 4pm bulletin. It was 322 on Wednesday.

The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (Safar) said Delhi’s AQI is expected to improve only from Saturday after rain.