Delhi witnesses first spell of winter rains, pollution level drops

It was a rain-soaked morning in the national capital on Saturday with the minimum temperature recorded at 13.5 degrees Celsius, six notches above the season’s average.

Delhiites woke up to a rain-soaked morning as showers washed away pollution and sent temperatures plunging.

It was a rain-soaked morning in the national capital on Saturday with the minimum temperature recorded at 13.5 degrees Celsius, six notches above the season’s average (File Photo)

Bad weather and fog, however, delayed 70 trains while 16 had to be rescheduled and seven cancelled, a northern railways spokesperson said. Flight operations at IGI Airport were not affected.

The weather office forecast said the sky would be generally cloudy and the maximum temperature is likely to be around 21 degrees Celsius. The temperature in the morning hovered around 14 degree Celsuis, a break from the unusually sunny days witnessed in recent weeks.

Hindustan Times air quality index showed a marked drop in the particulate pollution count. Most spots in the day reported good or moderate air quality.

Private agency Skymet said the scattered showers across the city are part of the “first spell” of winter rains and the city may witness one or two more spell of rains later in the day.

“These weather systems are likely to clear by Sunday but clouding will persist. By Monday, icy cold northwesterly winds will once again start blowing over northern plains including Delhi-NCR.

“With this, we can then expect a steep drop in night temperatures as well. By early next week, winter chill will grip most of the northern plains. During this time, mercury is likely to settle around or below five degrees Celsius,” a Skymet report said.

Yesterday, the maximum temperature was recorded at 24.4 degrees Celsius, five notches above normal while the minimum settled at 11.5 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal.