Delhi remained warm on Friday with the maximum temperature settling at 39.1 degrees Celsius, one notch above normal, even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert and forecast thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, light rain and gusty winds during the night.
The city began the day under partly cloudy skies, with the minimum temperature recorded at 27 degrees Celsius, 0.5 notches below the seasonal average.
Similar weather conditions are likely to continue on Sunday, with the weather office predicting thunderstorms and rainfall in parts of the national capital.
Also Read | Strong winds likely over Delhi-NCR over the next two hours, says regional met centre
Yellow alert in Delhi today
Station-wise data showed that Ridge recorded the highest maximum temperature in Delhi-NCR at 40 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degrees above normal. Palam and Ayanagar registered maximum temperatures of 39.6 degrees Celsius each, with departures of 0.4 degrees and 1 degree above normal, respectively. Lodhi Road recorded a maximum temperature of 39.2 degrees Celsius, 0.2 degrees above normal.
According to the IMD, minimum temperatures across Delhi ranged between 24 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius during the past 24 hours, while maximum temperatures ranged between 39 degrees Celsius and 40 degrees Celsius. Minimum temperatures were appreciably below normal by 3.1 degrees Celsius to 5 degrees Celsius at isolated places and below normal by 1.6 degrees Celsius to 3 degrees Celsius in some areas, while remaining parts recorded near-normal temperatures.
{{/usCountry}}According to the IMD, minimum temperatures across Delhi ranged between 24 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius during the past 24 hours, while maximum temperatures ranged between 39 degrees Celsius and 40 degrees Celsius. Minimum temperatures were appreciably below normal by 3.1 degrees Celsius to 5 degrees Celsius at isolated places and below normal by 1.6 degrees Celsius to 3 degrees Celsius in some areas, while remaining parts recorded near-normal temperatures.
{{/usCountry}}Maximum temperatures were above normal by 1.6 degrees Celsius to 3 degrees Celsius at isolated places and remained normal elsewhere. Southwesterly winds with speeds of 10-15 kmph prevailed during the day, with gusts reaching 46 kmph at Palam at 5 pm.
Delhi's air quality remained in the "moderate" category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) standing at 143 in the evening, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
According to the CPCB, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.