Light rain and cloudy sky in NCR, mercury likely to rise this week

Gurugram received light rain intermittently on Thursday, with the sky remaining partly cloudy throughout the day. The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Palam Observatory recorded a rainfall of 0.6 mm.

Gurugram received light rain intermittently on Thursday, with the sky remaining partly cloudy throughout the day. The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Palam Observatory recorded a rainfall of 0.6 mm.

According to IMD scientists, Thursday’s rain was a result of a western disturbance in the western Himalayan region on Wednesday and Thursday. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

According to IMD scientists, Thursday’s rain was a result of a western disturbance in the western Himalayan region on Wednesday and Thursday. “Under the influence of the western disturbance, scattered rainfall took place over Punjab, Haryana and parts of the national capital region (NCR),” said Kuldeep Srivastava, a senior scientist at the IMD, adding that the intensity of the western disturbance is expected to decrease significantly from Friday.

IMD officials also said they expect this western disturbance to be the last of this season.

“The current disturbance is the 17th of the season while on an average, the country sees about five to six every year. This year, the frequency has been high due to the weakening of the polar vortex,” said Srivastava. Polar vortex is a low pressure area lying near the Earth’s poles.

The maximum temperature recorded in the city on Thursday was 24.6 degrees Celsius, a decrease of a degree from Wednesday’s maximum temperature. The day temperature is expected to rise in the coming days to touch around 27 degrees Celsius, said MeT department officials. This week is likely to see cloudy skies throughout, according to the IMD’s forecast.

The minimum temperature on Thursday was recorded at 11.8 degrees Celsius, a fall of three degrees from Wednesday’s minimum temperature. The night temperature too is expected to rise to around 14 degrees Celsius on Sunday, and touch 17 degrees Celsius on March 20.

The city’s air quality index (AQI), however, deteriorated to 271 (poor) on Thursday, as recorded by the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) AQI monitor at Vikas Sadan, Sector 11. Wednesday had an AQI reading of 147 (moderate). According to air quality experts, the rise in AQI was a result of the fall in the night temperature because of which the pollutants settled at a lower level in the atmosphere.