NEW DELHI: The capital experienced a slight increase in minimum temperature on Saturday, while the maximum temperature decreased due to persistent cloudy conditions throughout the day. Although the India Meteorological Department issued a yellow alert for the day, only isolated areas of Delhi received light rain during the night between Friday and Saturday.
On Saturday morning, the Safdarjung weather station, a key representative of the city’s weather, did not record any rain, while other stations reported varying amounts. Palam received 1.9 mm of rain between 11.30 pm on Friday and 2.30 am on Saturday; Lodhi Road recorded 0.3 mm; Ridge also noted 1.9 mm; Ayanagar experienced 5.8 mm; and Pitampura saw 0.5 mm during the same period. No additional rain was observed until 5.30 pm, according to IMD data.
The minimum temperature rose to 20.7 degrees Celsius, 1.9 degrees above normal and 1.5 degrees higher than the previous day. In contrast, the maximum temperature reached 32 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal and one degree lower than the day before.
Meanwhile, the IMD has issued a yellow alert for Tuesday, forecasting one or two spells of very light to light rain during the day, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 30–40 kmph.
An additional spell of light rain may occur during the evening hours on Tuesday.
The MeT department forecasts the maximum temperature to range between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius on Sunday, dropping to 28–30 degrees by Wednesday. The minimum temperature is expected to be around 17–19 degrees Celsius on Sunday, with a slight dip thereafter.
Additionally, Delhi’s air quality showed significant improvement due to fresh showers and gusty winds the previous day. The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 137 (moderate) at 4 pm on Saturday, compared to 266 (poor) at the same time on Friday, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.