Orange alert in Delhi, Ghaziabad, yellow in Gurugram as rain cools cities; showers persist overnight

All districts of Delhi were under an orange alert till 4:20 am on Tuesday, according to the nowcast viewed on IMD's website.

Parts of Delhi and adjoining cities continued to receive intermittent rain through the early hours of Tuesday, prompting the India Meteorological Department to issue an orange alert for the national capital.

Tourists seen during light rains at Lodhi Garden in Delhi on Monday(Hindustan Times)

All districts of Delhi were under an orange, according to the nowcast viewed on IMD's website at around 4:30 am on Tuesday.

Adjoining cities of Uttar Pradesh's Noida and Ghaziabad were also under an orange alert while Haryana's Gurugram and Faridabad were placed under a yellow warning.

The wet spell that began on Monday and continued into the early hours of Tuesday is attributed the first strong western disturbance of the post-monsoon season that is brining a steady drizzle and intermittent showers across Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida, Gurugram and other NCR cities.

The prolonged rainfall led to a noticeable dip in temperatures as Delhi's maximum temperature settled at 26.5 degrees Celsius on Monday, eight degrees below normal for this time of the year – the lowest October maximum since 26.2 degrees Celsius was recorded on October 17, 2023.

IMD officials said rain is likely to continue on Tuesday, with a marginal reduction in intensity, as reported earlier by HT.

The minimum temperature on Monday was 20.6 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal. Krishna Kumar Mishra, senior scientist at IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre, said northwesterly winds from Wednesday may push it below 20 degrees Celsius.

The western disturbance also caused fresh snowfall in the upper Himalayas. IMD officials said minimum temperatures may drop below 20 degrees Celsius from Wednesday as cold northwesterly winds reach the plains.

Gurugram recorded a maximum temperature of 28 degrees Celsius on Monday, nearly 6 degrees Celsius lower than Sunday, marking one of the sharpest dips of the season.

UP's Noida on Monday recorded a maximum temperature of around 30 degree Celsius and a minimum of 22 degree Celsius, said the IMD while forecasting thunderstorms accompanied by hailstorms, lightning and winds up to 40 kilometre per hour (kmph) on Tuesday.