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Rain, thunderstorm expected today
Gurugram: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert for thunderstorms, dust storms, and squall (high wind speeds between 40 to 60kmph) on Friday,
Gurugram: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert for thunderstorms, dust storms, and squall (high wind speeds between 40 to 60kmph) on Friday, when a fresh western disturbance is expected to pass over the national capital region and other parts of north and central India. Hailstorms, which were experienced in some parts of Haryana on Wednesday, are also likely to occur, an IMD spokesperson said.
“Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning, hail and gusty wind (speed reaching 30-40 kmph) very likely to occur at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and West Rajasthan during 5th and 6th March,” the IMD said in a statement issued on Thursday.
Active weather conditions have already begun registering their presence, with the city having received 5.6mm of rainfall till 8.30am on Thursday.
As per the IMD’s city-specific forecast for Gurugram, Friday and Saturday are likely to see “generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers,” and a “partly cloudy sky” is expected on Sunday, before conditions clear up again early next week. The city is predicted to receive between 5 and 15mm/hr of rain, with wind speeds that may touch as much as 61kmph, as per the IMD.
The maximum temperature on Thursday touched 29.2 degrees Celsius (the highest recorded since winter began receding), but the IMD predicted that rain will cause a sharp dip in mercury. The day temperature is expected to plunge to 23 degrees Celsius on Saturday, and minimum temperature (recorded at 14.4 degrees Celsius on Thursday) is expected to dip to 13 degrees Celsius by the weekend.
Meanwhile, air quality in the city improved considerably on Thursday, settling in the ‘satisfactory’ category of the Central Pollution Control Board’s air quality index (AQI) bulletin, thanks to strong surface winds which blew away particulate matter. Carbon monoxide was recorded as the city’s primary pollutant.
As per the early air quality warning system for the NCR, the air quality is likely to “improve further and remain in satisfactory to good category on Friday owing to strong surface winds and rain”. The air quality is likely to remain in satisfactory category on Saturday, the warning said.
A CPCB forecast had predicted Gurugram’s average daily AQI value to be 88 (‘satisfactory’) on Friday, improving further to settle in the ‘good’ category on Saturday, with a predicted AQI of 48.
