NEW DELHI: As rains continue to lash the capital, its Ridge weather station recorded 154% excess rainfall this month. The city also registered its cleanest air in more than 10 months on Wednesday, even as waterlogging and traffic snarls disrupted normal life.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the Ridge weather station received 79.1 mm of rainfall between July 1 and 8.30 am on July 8, 154% higher than the long-period average of 31.2 mm for the corresponding period. Additonally, the IMD has issued a ‘yellow alert’ for Thursday and forecast a generally cloudy sky with light to moderate rain.
On the air quality front, the city’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 59 in the ‘satisfactory’ category, the lowest since September 4, 2025, when it was 58.
According to the weather department, cumulative rainfall till 8.30 am stood at 14.2 mm at Safdarjung, 19.2 mm at Palam, 17.8 mm at Lodhi Road, 54.3 mm at Ridge, 37.6 mm at Ayanagar, 18.6 mm at Rajghat, 44.5 mm at Pusa, 85.5 mm at Najafgarh and 24.5 mm at Mayur Vihar.
Persistent showers kept temperatures well below normal. Safdarjung recorded a maximum temperature of 30.8 ° Celsius, 5.8 notches below normal, followed by Palam at 30.0° Celsius, 7.4 notches below normal, Lodhi Road at 30.2° Celsius, 4.8 notches below normal, Ridge at 29.4 °s Celsius, 6.8 notches below normal, and Ayanagar at 28.3 ° Celsius, 8.3 notches below normal.
Mahesh Palawat, vice president (Meteorology and Climate Change), Skymet Weather, said the ongoing spell of rain is due to the seasonal monsoon trough shifting northwards.