Parts of Delhi witnessed light rain on Saturday morning, offering residents brief relief from the heat. This comes a day after torrential rain and winds lashed several parts of the Capital. In the last 24 hours, between 8.30 am on Friday and 8.30 am on Saturday, the city recorded 0.8 mm of rainfall.
The relative humidity at 8.30 am stood at 82 per cent.
Saturday began on a cooler note, with the minimum temperature settling at 22.2 degrees Celsius, which is 2.5 degrees below the season’s average. The relative humidity at 8:30 am stood at 82 per cent, indicating a moist start to the weekend.
Delhi and adjoining states are likely to experience cloudy skies and light rains till Tuesday (May 6).
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast gusty winds, reaching speeds of 40-50 kilometres per hour, for the capital, with a “yellow” alert — “Be Aware” — in place, according to the IMD’s colour code.
The department said light rain, moderate thunderstorms and lightning accompanied by gusty winds are likely over several parts of Delhi, including Jafarpur, Najafgarh, Dwarka, Palam, IGI Airport, Vasant Vihar, Vasant Kunj, Mehrauli, Tughlakabad, Chhattarpur, IGNOU, Ayanagar and Deramandi, as well as in parts of the National Capital Region (NCR), such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Manesar and Ballabhgarh. As a precaution, people have been advised to stay indoors, avoid sheltering under trees, unplug electronic appliances and stay away from water bodies and objects that conduct electricity.
Meanwhile, the maximum temperature was recorded at 35 degrees Celsius, 4.3 notches below the season’s average, while the minimum settled at
22.2 degrees Celsius, 2.5 notches
below normal.
Humidity levels fluctuated between 82 per cent and 53 per cent during the day. The weather department has predicted light to moderate rain in the national capital on Saturday, likely accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning.
The weather department has forecasted a thunderstorm with rain during the day, with maximum temperature expected to hover around 34 degrees Celsius.
On Friday, Delhi witnessed one of its wettest May days in recent history. According to the India Meteorological Department, the Safdarjung weather station recorded 77 mm of rain within just six hours, from 2.30 am to 8.30 am.
The spell marked the second-highest 24-hour rainfall in May in Delhi since record-keeping began in 1901. The highest on record remains 119.3 mm, which fell in a single day in May 2021. It was caused by moisture and wind convergence over the region — fed by both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal — combined, the weather department said. It was caused by a mix of weather systems that created conditions for thunderstorms. The previous high was 60 mm, recorded on May 24, 1976, according to the IMD.
The city’s air quality was in the ‘moderate’ category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 152 at 9 am, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, an AQI between zero 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’.