A day after strong dust storms and gusty winds swept through the city, Delhi’s maximum temperature settled 0.9 notches below normal at 35.2 degrees Celsius on Saturday. The relative humidity fluctuated between 41 per cent and 78 per cent.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the national capital recorded 0.7 mm rainfall in the 24 hours ended at 8:30 am on Saturday. The weather station at Ayanagar received the highest rainfall at 4 mm, followed by Pitampura (2.5 mm), Palam (2 mm) and Ridge (1.4 mm). The Safdarjung observatory recorded 0.7 mm of rain while the Lodhi Road, Pusa and the Mayur Vihar stations registered 0.5 mm each. The minimum temperature had settled two notches below the season’s average at 19 degrees Celsius.
The national capital experienced a sudden shift in weather conditions on Friday as rain after the dust storms led to sharp temperature drops across weather stations. Two people, including a 10-year-old girl, were killed in separate incidents during the dust storms. In Dwarka’s Kakrola area, Avani died after a building parapet collapsed on her. In Delhi’s Chander Vihar area, 67-year-old man Chander Pal died after construction material fell off a roof on him.
The IMD had issued an ‘orange’ warning for Delhi-NCR for adverse weather conditions that was likely to continue till Saturday evening. It had advised residents to stay indoors, secure doors and windows and avoid unnecessary travel during this period. For Sunday, the weather office has forecast partly cloudy skies, with the maximum and the minimum temperatures likely to settle at 37 degrees and 20 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The national capital’s air quality remained in the ‘moderate’ category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 166 at 4 pm, according to Central Pollution Control Board data.
