Delhi sees dip in temperature, clearer air as rain lashes city

Delhi on Thursday witnessed rainfall which plummeted the temperatures during the day by four to six degrees Celsius. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for the city, warning of moderate to heavy showers, lightning, and squally winds.

The rain also led to an improvement in the Capital’s air quality, bringing the AQI to 149 on Thursday from 181 recorded a day before. According to the IMD bulletin, maximum temperatures settled between 27 and 28 degrees Celsius across major weather stations. Safdarjung, the city’s base station, recorded 15.

9 mm of rainfall while Ridge logged the maximum rainfall at 25.2 mm. Lodi Road recorded 20 mm, Palam stood at 11.2 mm, and Ayanagar followed with 7.2 mm. Commuters are caught in the showers that hit Delhi on Thursday. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal) The weather shift, according to officials, was driven by multiple weather systems, notably a Western Disturbance that persisted as a cyclonic circulation over north Punjab and its neighbourhood.

An upper-air cyclonic circulation was also present over south Haryana and its neighbourhood, while a low-pressure area extended from northeast Uttar Pradesh to the East-Central Arabian Sea across East Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Strong surface winds sweeping across the Capital blew at a speed of 20-30 kmph, gusting up to 50 to 60 kmph, IMD officials said.