Rain brings relief to Delhi and NCR, IMD issues ‘yellow’ alert

Light to moderate rainfall was reported across several sectors in the morning and afternoon, accompanied by cloudy skies and a noticeable drop in temperature.

A spell of rain swept across parts of Noida, Greater Noida, and surrounding regions on Tuesday, bringing much-needed relief from the warm conditions that had persisted over the past week. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has put in place a “yellow alert” for Wednesday over the likelihood of thunderstorms and gusty winds.

The maximum temperature on Tuesday was recorded at 31°C, while the minimum settled at 17.3°C. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

Light to moderate rainfall was reported across several sectors in the morning and afternoon, accompanied by cloudy skies and a noticeable drop in temperature. The change in weather follows a period of rising heat in early April.

The maximum temperature on Tuesday was 31°C, while the minimum was 17.3°C.

According to weather updates, parts of Delhi-NCR, including Noida, are under a “yellow alert”, with forecasts indicating intermittent rain spells and wind speeds reaching up to 40–50 km/h. While the rainfall brought relief, it also led to brief waterlogging in low-lying areas and slower traffic movement at a few stretches.

“Cloud movement from northeast Rajasthan and Haryana towards Delhi-NCR led to light rain in patches and brief passing showers. However, the vertical development of clouds remained limited, ruling out the possibility of a hailstorm,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president of climate and meteorology at private weather agency Skymet Weather.

Residents across Noida welcomed the change. “The heat was building up over the last few days, and this rain just reset everything,” said Ritu Sharma, a resident of Sector 46, Noida.

IMD has forecast that partly to generally cloudy skies will persist in Gautam Budh Nagar until Wednesday, with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers likely. Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds of up to 40–50 km/h have also been forecast, prompting officials to advise caution when moving outdoors.

Day temperatures are expected to remain between 27°C and 31°C, while minimum temperatures may hover between 17°C and 18°C. From April 9 onwards, weather conditions are likely to stabilise, with partly cloudy to mainly clear skies expected. Between April 10 and 12, clear weather is forecast, with temperatures gradually rising again to around 32–33°C.

The air quality index (AQI) in Noida and Greater Noida was recorded in the ‘moderate’ category at 126 each on Tuesday, an improvement from Monday, when AQI levels stood at 159 and 192, respectively.