Rain brings down mercury by four degrees

The maximum temperature on Friday fell by four degrees from Thursday’s 40.3 degrees Celsius to 36.8 degrees Celsius following a spell of rain in the evening.

The maximum temperature on Friday fell by four degrees from Thursday’s 40.3 degrees Celsius to 36.8 degrees Celsius following a spell of rain in the evening.

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According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), around 3.1mm rainfall was recorded around the Palam Observatory Area— the closest manual weather observatory to Gurugram— between 8.30am and 8.30pm on Friday. Officials attributed the rain to a western disturbance affecting north-west India and easterly winds from Uttar Pradesh.

As per Kuldeep Srivastava, head, regional weather forecasting centre, IMD, thunderstorms with light rain, lightning, and squally winds (50-60 kmph speed) prevailed across Haryana and northwest UP on Friday. Cloudy skies with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers have been predicted till Monday by the IMD.

The minimum temperature on Friday was recorded at 22.5 degrees Celsius. Gurugram’s maximum temperature is expected to fall further and touch 35 degrees Celsius on Saturday, as per IMD’s weekly forecast. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 25 degrees Celsius on Saturday, as per the forecast.

Air quality in the city was ‘satisfactory’ on Friday, recording 100 on the Central Pollution Control Board’s air quality index (AQI) bulletin. This was an improvement from the previous day’s recording of 151 in the ‘moderate’ category. The improvement in air quality was attributed largely to an increase in wind speed and dispersal of pollutants due to rain. According to the early air quality warning system for Delhi-NCR, the air quality is likely to improve further on Saturday.