GB Nagar: Rain, thunderstorm bring respite from sweltering heat; AQI improves

With temperatures plummeting, it made the afternoon turn cooler, which was a welcome change from the scorching heat and humidity of the past two months

NOIDA: High intensity rain hit the twin cities of Noida and Greater Noida in the early hours of Friday, bringing much needed respite from the sweltering heat to residents and also cleaning up the air.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI of Noida was 55 on Friday, down from Thursday’s 62. Greater Noida’s AQI stood at 98 on Friday. It was 88 on Thursday. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

With temperatures plummeting, it made the afternoon turn cooler, which was a welcome change from the scorching heat and humidity of the past two months.

“The intense heat over the past couple of months was exhausting but the rain has brought us relief. There is a cool breeze for the first time in months,” said Ashok Sharma, a resident of Sector 52.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) has also improved significantly in the two cities over a couple of days.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI of Noida was 55 on Friday, down from Thursday’s 62. Greater Noida’s AQI stood at 98 on Friday. It was 88 on Thursday.

On June 26 (Wednesday), the AQI of Noida and Greater Noida stood at 139 and 167, respectively, both under “moderate” category whereas it was recorded as 142 and 171 on Tuesday for these cities.

Around June 15, the AQI of the two cities was in the “poor” category. On June 1), AQI of Noida was 188 (moderate) while Greater Noida’s was 239 (poor). It was recorded at 203 in Noida and 249 in Greater Noida on June 16. The AQI further deteriorated on June 19, to 345 (very poor) in Noida and 368 in Greater Noida, according to the CPCB.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum temperature was 33 degrees Celsius (°C) on Friday from Thursday’s 33.7°C while the minimum temperature was 24.2°C against 25.7°C recorded on Thursday.

Weather experts said a cyclonic formation was being witnessed over Punjab and adjoining north-west Rajasthan, adjoining Pakistan, Uttar Pradesh, and the National Capital Region.

“Intermittent rain is expected to continue in Delhi and NCR for the next four to five days. The intensity is expected to become heavy on June 30 or July 1 and thereafter, the rain will be of moderate intensity. Thus, weather is expected to remain pleasant over the coming days,” said vice president, climate and meteorology at Skymet Weather, Mahesh Palawat.

As per the IMD, the maximum temperature of Gautam Budh Nagar will hover around 40°C and minimum around 30°C over the past few days. However, the temperatures began plummeting from June 25.

The IMD has forecast that maximum temperature in Gautam Budh Nagar is expected to hover around 32°C and minimum around 32°C, till July 4, with possibility of generally cloudy sky accompanied by rain and thunderstorms.