IMD downgrades alert to ‘yellow’ as light rain, cold wave persist in Gurugram

Dense fog is likely at isolated places for two more days, with minimum temperatures expected to drop further across southern Haryana.

Light rainfall at isolated locations and colder conditions were recorded in Gurugram on Tuesday as the India Meteorological Department downgraded its weather alert to yellow and forecast dense fog and cold wave conditions to continue.

IMD said gusty winds reduced visibility on key corridors, while air quality slipped into the very poor category by evening. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

According to IMD data, Gurugram recorded 3 mm of rainfall by afternoon, though no downpours were reported during the evening hours. The minimum temperature rose by 1.6 degrees Celsius over the past 24 hours to settle at 5.8 degrees Celsius at 8.30am.

“The weather is expected to remain dry, with dense fog likely at isolated places for the next two days till Thursday. During this period, minimum temperatures are likely to drop by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius in continuation of cold wave conditions,” a senior IMD official said.

IMD officials said the average minimum temperature in southern Haryana remained 1.9 degrees Celsius above normal on Tuesday. Gurugram recorded a maximum temperature of 16.7 degrees Celsius, with partly cloudy skies and one or two spells of rain or thundershowers in the afternoon.

Gusty winds of up to 30 km/h were reported on the Delhi–Gurugram Expressway during early morning hours, slowing to around 15 km/h by evening. Visibility on the corridor dropped from about 2,500 metres at 8.30am to 1,300 metres in the evening.

Meanwhile, air quality deteriorated, slipping into the “very poor” category. Gurugram’s AQI rose to 306 by 4pm, up from 276 on Monday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. The Sammer App showed AQI readings of 294 at NISE Gwal Pahari and 259 at Vikas Sadan, both in the “poor” category, while Sector 51 recorded a “very poor” AQI of 381 at 8pm.