Delhi wakes up to rain and thunderstorms as IMD issues yellow alert; temperatures likely to dip
New Delhi: Delhi woke up to rainfall and thunderstorms on Sunday morning, bringing temporary relief from the recent spell of warmer weather. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for the national capital, warning residents of light rain, lightning, and gusty winds that may reach speeds of up to 50 kmph during the day.
Several parts of the city experienced showers accompanied by thunder and lightning early in the morning. According to the IMD, the weather activity may continue through the day, with the possibility of very light rain or drizzle in some areas.
The rainfall has been linked to a western disturbance approaching the western Himalayan region. This weather system has triggered cyclonic circulation over central Pakistan and neighbouring Punjab and Haryana, resulting in rain and thunderstorms across parts of north India, including Delhi.
Weather experts say the showers could mark the season’s first pre-monsoon rainfall in the capital, arriving around 10 days earlier than usual. The change in weather is expected to bring a slight drop in temperatures over the next few days.
The Safdarjung weather station, considered Delhi’s base station, recorded a minimum temperature of 18.1°C on Saturday. While this was about three degrees above the seasonal average, it was 2.3 degrees lower than the previous day’s reading. Other stations such as Palam and Lodhi Road recorded minimum temperatures of 16.6°C.
Despite the rainfall, the maximum temperature in the city reached 33.2°C on Saturday, which is about 4.3 degrees above normal. However, the IMD expects temperatures to fall gradually in the coming days.
The weather department has forecast that the minimum temperature could drop further to around 14°C–16°C by Monday, while the maximum temperature is likely to remain between 31°C and 33°C over the next few days. Another spell of light rain, accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds of up to 40 kmph, may occur around March 18.
Rain and thunderstorm activity is not limited to Delhi. The IMD has predicted similar weather conditions across several northern states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where light rain or snowfall may occur in the coming days. Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan may also experience thunderstorms with gusty winds.
In eastern and northeastern India, fairly widespread rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning is expected across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal and Sikkim. Rain and strong winds may also affect states such as Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, with some areas likely to experience thundersqualls with wind speeds reaching 60–70 kmph.
Parts of southern India, including Telangana, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Mahe, are also expected to receive scattered rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds.
Even as rainfall spreads across many regions, heatwave conditions are likely to persist in isolated pockets of Vidarbha, Jharkhand and Odisha. Hot and humid conditions may also continue in parts of Konkan and Goa as well as Kerala and Mahe.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘moderate’ category despite the rainfall. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board showed that the city recorded a 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 153 on Saturday afternoon, slightly improving from 189 recorded a day earlier.
According to CPCB standards, an AQI between 101 and 200 falls under the ‘moderate’ category. Forecasts from the Air Quality Early Warning System indicate that Delhi’s air quality is likely to remain in the moderate range over the next few days as weather conditions continue to fluctuate.