The national capital experienced a slight increase in minimum temperature on Saturday, while the maximum temperature decreased due to persistent cloudy conditions throughout the day.
Although the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for the day, only isolated areas of Delhi received light rain during the night between Friday and Saturday.
On Saturday morning, the Safdarjung weather station, a key representative of the city’s weather, did not record any rain, while other stations reported varying amounts: Palam received 1.9 mm of rain between 11.30 pm on Friday and 2.30 am on Saturday; Lodhi Road recorded 0.3 mm; Ridge also noted 1.9 mm; Ayanagar experienced 5.8 mm; and Pitampura saw 0.5 mm during the same period. No additional rain was observed until 5.30 pm, according to IMD data.
The minimum temperature rose to 20.7 degrees Celsius, which is 1.9 degrees above normal and 1.5 degrees higher than the previous day. In contrast, the maximum temperature reached 32 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal and one degree lower than the day before.
Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet, said, “This is due to the presence of a cloud cover, as a result of which lesser heat penetrates during the day and lesser heat escapes from the earth’s surface at night.”
Meanwhile, IMD has issued a yellow alert for Tuesday, forecasting one or two spells of very light to light rain during the day, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of speed 30-40 kmph.
An additional spell of light rain may occur during the evening hours on Tuesday.
Palawat added, “This will be because of the influence of a western disturbance, as well as an induced cyclonic circulation that is being observed over northwest Rajasthan and central Pakistan. The temperature might see a slight drop after Tuesday.”
The MeT department forecasts that the maximum temperature will range from 30 to 32 degrees Celsius on Sunday, dropping to 28 to 30 degrees by Wednesday. The minimum temperature is expected to be around 17 to 19 degrees Celsius on Sunday, with a slight dip thereafter.
Additionally, the air quality in Delhi showed significant improvement due to fresh showers and gusty winds the day before. The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was reported at 137 (moderate) at 4 pm on Saturday, compared to an AQI of 266 (poor) recorded at the same time on Friday, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.
According to CPCB standards, an AQI of 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’.
The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi has predicted that the AQI will remain in the ‘moderate’ category for the next few days.
