NEW DELHI: Light rain was recorded in parts of the national capital on Tuesday evening, with the minimum temperature settling at around 19.4 degrees Celsius, slightly lower than the reading on Monday.
Delhi is also expected to begin April on a rainy note, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light showers accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds on April 3 and 4. Met has issued a yellow alert in this regard. Additionally, partly cloudy skies are expected to persist throughout the week.
Meanwhile, the maximum temperature on Tuesday ranged between 32 and 34 degrees Celsius. On Wednesday, the minimum temperature is likely to dip further, with values expected between 17 and 19 degrees Celsius. The city had also experienced light rainfall on Monday afternoon.
Rainfall recorded between 2.30 pm and 5.30 pm stood at 2.1 mm at Safdarjung, 2.6 mm at Palam, 2.8 mm at Lodi Road, 2.4 mm at Ridge and 2.2 mm at Ayanagar. Among other stations, Janakpuri recorded the highest rainfall at 4 mm, while Pusa and Mayur Vihar received 2 mm each and Pitampura recorded 1.5 mm.
Minimum temperatures showed slight variation, with Safdarjung at 19.4 degrees Celsius, Palam at 19.6 degrees, Lodi Road at 18.0 degrees, Ridge at 18.4 degrees and Ayanagar at 18.6 degrees. The weather department has forecast light to moderate rainfall along with thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds (reaching 30–50 kmph) across Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, west Uttar Pradesh, and west Rajasthan on March 31. Consequently, several northwestern states, including Delhi-NCR, witnessed light to moderate rainfall on Tuesday.A similar weather pattern has also been predicted for Wednesday (April 1).
The current spell of unusual March weather extending into April is being attributed to a series of western disturbances affecting northwest India. These systems have been active since March 15 and are occurring at lower altitudes than usual, thereby influencing Delhi’s weather. As a result, isolated areas of the city may continue to experience strong winds and light rain.
This month was also among the hottest in the past four years as the average maximum temperature stood at 32.6 degrees Celsius—the highest in four years. The last time the average maximum temperature was higher in March was in 2022, when it reached 33.4 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood in the “moderate” category, with a reading of 171 recorded at 4 pm. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), AQI levels between 0 and 50 are classified as ‘good,’ 51–100 as ‘satisfactory,’ 101–200 as ‘moderate,’ 201–300 as ‘poor,’ 301–400 as ‘very poor’ and 401–500 as ‘severe.’
After months of severe pollution levels in the national capital, March has brought some relief. This improvement in the AQI can be attributed to cloudy conditions and intermittent rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds.
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