Light rain cools Gurugram but air quality stays poor despite temperature drop

2mm rain and gusty winds lowered maximum to 19.5°C; AQI rose to 264 with most stations still in poor range, skies expected to clear after alert.

Light rainfall across Gurugram on Wednesday brought a sharp drop in temperature and mild weather conditions, but air quality remained in the “poor” category, officials said. The city’s average air quality index (AQI) stood at 264, according to the daily bulletin by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). A significant increase compared to Tuesday’s 225, but a slight improvement compared to Monday’s 296.

IMD says western disturbance caused showers and winds up to 50 kmph; temperatures dipped sharply but AQI worsened compared with Tuesday’s reading. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

The city recorded 2 mm of rainfall on Wednesday, while surrounding areas such as Manesar, Pataudi and Badshahpur received 1 mm each according to Gurugram administration. The maximum temperature fell to 19.5°C, a decline of 8.4 degrees from the previous day, while the minimum temperature remained steady at 15.2°C. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a yellow alert for Gurugram and the Delhi-NCR region, warning of moderate rainfall, isolated thunderstorms and gusty winds of 40 to 50 kmph across parts of southern Haryana.

Surinder Paul, director of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Chandigarh, said the yellow alert was only for Wednesday. “The skies are expected to clear tomorrow, and the drop in temperature will be short-lived,” he said. He added that the rainfall was caused by a combination of western disturbances over Punjab and neighbouring states, along with the influence of easterly winds from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

The showers provided relief after unseasonably high temperatures earlier in the week, with Tuesday recording a maximum of 27.9°C, Monday and Sunday 27°C, and Saturday 25.4°C. Three of Gurugram’s four air quality monitoring stations were operational. Gwal Pahari recorded an AQI of 205, Sector 51 registered 260 and Vikas Sadan measured 265, all in the “poor” category at around 9pm.

Parts of Delhi also saw light rainfall on Wednesday morning, leading to a minor drop in temperature. The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 15.8°C, around five degrees above normal. Meanwhile, the maximum was at 21.1°C, around 3.3 degrees below normal.