A sudden spell of rain on Thursday evening brought relief to the national Capital as spring slowly begins making way for the summer.
A light breeze made for a pleasant afternoon as dark clouds gradually drifted in before the thunder began. The subsequent squall brought the minimum temperature two notches below the average at 16 degrees Celsius in the evening. The maximum temperature during the day, however, was two notches above average at 33.7 degrees Celsius. The humidity ranged between 29 and 84 per cent. The mercury on Friday will remain at similar levels - oscillating between 16 and 33, according to the weatherman.
Hailstorms were also reported from areas surrounding Delhi including Noida and Ghaziabad. The weatherman said the evening was the outcome of a Western Disturbance that would last only till Friday morning. But the Capital may witness another rainy spell on the weekend.
"The sudden rain on Thursday is due to disturbances that have affected the western Himalayas. It is also because of well-marked induced circulation over Rajasthan and adjoining regions. It was coupled with an influx of moisture from Arabian Sea. This inherent instability of the atmosphere has resulted in significant events of rain and thunderstorm accompanied with squally winds across Delhi. From Friday onward the weather will improve," said Deputy Director General of the Meteorological Department of Delhi OP Singh said.
He said that there were predictions of two events of rain in the last month of March out of which one has already occurred. "Two western disturbances were likely to affect Delhi during the last week of March. Thursday's was the first event and another is expected to happen in the next two days. However, there are no expectations of any prolonged rainfall in the coming time," he added.
"It was an icing on the cake. The weather turned pleasant all of a sudden. The sky looked beautiful. We came out of the office to feel it. Such chances won't come in future as the sun is beginning to show its fury," said Sakshi Malhotra an HR manager, said.