New Delhi: Heavy rainfall accompanied by a thunderstorm and gusty winds lashed parts of Delhi-NCR on Tuesday evening, bringing relief from the scorching heat and humid conditions.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum temperature settled at 35.9 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal.
Delhiites woke up to a pleasant Tuesday morning as the minimum temperature settled at 20.7 degrees Celsius, which is six notches below the normal temperature. The relative humidity oscillated between 48 per cent and 91 per cent.
The city recorded 1.2 mm of rainfall during the 24 hours that ended at 8.30 am on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI) was in the 'moderate' category with a reading of 115 at 7 pm.
The weather office has forecast partly cloudy skies with light rain and thunderstorm accompanied by gusty winds on Wednesday.
It has issued a 'yellow' alert for Wednesday, warning of traffic disruptions and inundation of low-lying areas due to rain. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 35 degrees Celsius.
Earlier on Monday, parts of north India witnessed rainfall that brought relief from the scorching heat.
Notably, as per IMD rainfall and thunderstorm activity is likely to continue over northwest India till May 31 and decrease gradually thereafter.
“Light/moderate scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with thunderstorm, lightning and occasional gusty winds/squall (40-50 gusting to 60kmph) very likely over Northwest India till 31st May with peak activity on 29th & 30th May and gradual reduction from 01st June,” the MeT department said in a statement on Monday.
The weatherman also predicted a hailstorm over north Rajasthan, Jammu division, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab between May 29 and 31.
Last Saturday, the agency had issued an orange alert for Haryana, North-East Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and said that there is a possibility of thunderstorms in the national capital for the next 3-4 days.