Mercury stays below normal as rains hit city

Light to moderate rain was recorded in the city from late Thursday to Friday morning, bringing with it a colder day for Gurugram. The maximum temperature stayed

Light to moderate rain was recorded in the city from late Thursday to Friday morning, bringing with it a colder day for Gurugram. The maximum temperature stayed around four degrees Celsius below the season’s average, at 16 degrees Celsius, on Friday.

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According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Gurugram received 4mm rainfall between 8.30am on Thursday and 8.30am on Friday. However, the IMD’s Palam observatory recorded 20mm rainfall in the same time frame.

Rain is expected to subside on Saturday, said experts. However, the month is witnessing a “normal than usual” spell of rain, they said.

The monthly average rainfall for Palam is 18.4mm, according to the IMD, and so far, 34.7mm rainfall has been recorded by the weather department this month.

“Rain has been more frequent this January so far, due to back-to-back western disturbances. Another spell of rainfall is expected on January 21, but its intensity will be light,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the IMD’s regional forecasting centre in New Delhi.

The maximum temperature on Friday increased by a degree Celsius from the previous day’s maximum temperature. The minimum temperature also increased, to 10.4 degrees Celsius from 8.4 degrees Celsius the previous day.

The maximum temperature is expected to rise on Saturday by a degree or two Celsius, and the minimum temperature could fall to seven degrees Celsius, as per the IMD prediction.

Dense fog is expected on Saturday and Sunday morning, an IMD spokesperson said, adding that visibility was at 700 metres on Friday morning.

Gurugram recorded a reading of 231 (‘poor’) on the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) official air quality index (AQI) bulletin released at 4pm on Friday. Private air quality monitors in the city recorded largely moderate levels of particulate matter.

In Sector 30, a private monitor recorded an average PM2.5 level of 80ug/m3 at 7.30pm, with PM10 at 147ug/m3. Another monitor in Sector 55-56 recorded PM2.5 level at 123ug/m3 and PM10 level at 200ug/m3.

As per the early air quality warning system for Delhi-NCR, “Air quality is likely to deteriorate marginally and remain in poor to lower-end of very poor category on 18.01.2020. The air quality is likely to remain in lower-end of very poor category on 19.01.2020.”

However, under the influence of prevailing westerly winds, Gurugram’s air quality is expected to remain moderate till Sunday (between 181 and 198 on the AQI), before dipping to an index value of 214 (’poor’) on Monday, said experts.