Delhiites witnessed a pleasantly chilly weather on Friday as light rain lashed the national Capital bringing the maximum temperature down to 16 degrees Celsius, which was five notches below the season’s average.
The Met Department has predicted more rain on Saturday while dense fog is likely to envelop the city from Sunday onwards. Over 45 trains were delayed due to moderate overnight fog. According to the Northern Railways, 41 trains coming to the Capital were running late, seven were rescheduled and four were cancelled. However, flights were not affected. The visibility in the morning was 600 metres at 8.30 am, which increased to around 800 metres during the course of the day.
The Met Department said Delhi witnessed scattered rainfall on Friday. “Mild rainfall intensified the winter chill even though there was marginal increase in mercury levels in vast swathes of north India, the Kashmir Valley and the upper reaches of Uttarakhand,” said an official in the Met Department. Friday’s minimum temperature settled three notches above the season’s average at 10.2 degrees Celsius.
According to Met officials, a rainfall of 5.6 milimetres was recorded at Safdarjung observatory between 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. Palam recorded 4.7 mm rainfall and lodhi Road recorded 5.7 mm. The Ridge area recorded the maximum rainfall of 7.7 mm while Ayanagar received 3.4 mm of rain during the same period. The city received 5.4 mm rainfall since Thursday till 8.30 am on Friday. Humidity levels oscillated between 98 per cent and 80 per cent.
The minimum temperature rose by 2.2 degrees since Thursday, settling three notches above the season’s average at 10.2 degrees Celsius. “There was moderate fog in the morning, and the day was partly cloudy. Very light rain or thundershower could occur in some areas,” said an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The Met Office has forecast a cloudy day with the possibility of more rainfall on Saturday. “On Saturday, the sky will be partly cloudy. Moderate fog would occur in the morning. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to be 17 and 11 degrees Celsius respectively,” said a Met official. On Thursday, the maximum temperature was 21.6 degrees Celsius while the minimum had settled at 8.8 degrees Celsius.
Sunday onwards, the Met Department has forecast more fog. “Chances of rain from Sunday onwards are less likely. But there shall be fog for the whole week ahead. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be between 21 and 7 degree Celsius respectively,” said an official in the IMD.