NEW DELHI: After a dust storm swept through the national capital on Friday morning, the city experienced light rainfall and thunderstorms in the evening, the India Meteorological Depattment (IMD) said. Rainfall, lightning and gusty winds were also seen in Noida and Gurugram.
The maximum temperature was recorded at 33.7 degrees Celsius on Friday, while the minimum temperature stood at 22.4 degrees Celsius. For Saturday, the maximum temperature is expected to range between 29 and 31 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature is likely to hover between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius. The weather office has predicted more rain, thunderstorms, and gusty winds for April 4 and 5.
The IMD said that an active western disturbance is likely to bring light to moderate precipitation over northwest India from April 2 to 5, with peak activity, including the possibility of hailstorms, on April 4.
On Monday and Tuesday evenings, some parts of the Capital had witnessed light rainfall, with the minimum temperature settling at around 19.4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. The ongoing spell of unusual weather in March and now April is linked to a series of western disturbances affecting northwest India. These disturbances have been influencing the region since March 15 and are approaching at a lower altitude than usual, impacting weather patterns over Delhi.
On the air quality front, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded in the “poor” category with a reading of 266 at 4 pm. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good,’ 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory,’ 101 to 200 ‘moderate,’ 201 to 300 ‘poor,’ 301 to 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 to 500 ‘severe.’
The deterioration to “poor” air quality is likely due to the dust storm that swept through the national capital on Friday.