WATCH: Delhi Sees Rain, Sandstorms, Strong Winds After IMD Prediction Of Thunderstorm
Delhi-NCR experienced rain, strong winds, and sandstorms following a dust storm. The IMD predicted similar weekend weather. Saturday brought overcast skies and a low of 24.3°C.
Rain, strong winds and sandstorms swept through parts of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Friday, a day after a severe dust storm hit the city. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted such weather conditions for the weekend, including Saturday and Sunday. Watch the video here.
On Saturday morning, the national capital woke up to an overcast sky and cooler temperatures. The minimum temperature was recorded at 24.3 degrees Celsius, which is 2.2 degrees below the season’s average, according to the IMD.
The weather office forecast a thunderstorm accompanied by rain for the day, with the maximum temperature likely to settle around 42 degrees Celsius. At 8:30 am, the relative humidity was reported at 55 per cent.
Meanwhile, the air quality in Delhi remained a concern. At 9 am on Saturday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 183, placing it in the ‘moderate’ category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). As per the CPCB classification, 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’.
Delhi Remains Hot Despite Rains
On Friday, several parts of Delhi received rain accompanied by light thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds with speeds ranging from 30 to 60 kilometres per hour. Areas including Narela, Bawana, Burari, Rohini, Karawal Nagar, Delhi University, Mundka, Punjabi Bagh, Kashmiri Gate, Buddha Jayanti Park, ITO, Jafarpur, Najafgarh, Delhi Cantonment, Safdarjung, and Lodi Road witnessed the impact of the weather system.
The IMD’s Safdarjung observatory, which serves as Delhi’s primary weather station, recorded 1.4 mm of rainfall between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm on Friday. Other rainfall measurements included 7.2 mm at Aya Nagar, 3 mm at Ridge, 2.5 mm at Pusa and 2 mm at Pitampura.
The IMD reported a southeastward-moving convection system currently over Rohtak, which is likely to continue moving towards southeast Delhi. This is expected to cause further rainfall accompanied by winds of 40–50 kmph, gusting up to 60 kmph, over many parts of the city.
Despite the rain, Delhi remained hot. The maximum temperature on Friday was recorded at 42.3 degrees Celsius, 1.9 degrees above normal. Aya Nagar registered a high of 44 degrees Celsius, while Palam and Ridge recorded 43.3 and 43.2 degrees Celsius, respectively. The minimum temperature stood at 26.2 degrees Celsius, which is 0.2 degrees below normal.
For Saturday, the IMD forecast a continuation of thunderstorm activity with rainfall. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 42 and 28 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI on Friday was recorded in the ‘poor’ category at 278, according to the CPCB.
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