NEW DELHI: The capital witnessed light rain in some parts of the city on Monday, with the minimum temperature settling at 20.4 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasts light showers in the capital in the first week of April. The possibility of very light rain or drizzle has been predicted for March 31 and for April 3 and 4.
On the other hand, the minimum temperatures over the next two days are expected to fall and range between 17 and 19 degrees Celsius. Additionally, this week will generally witness partly cloudy skies across the city.
The ongoing spell of unusual weather in March, now leading to 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. As a result, isolated parts of the city might experience high wind speeds and light rain, IMD officials said.
On the air quality front, the Air Quality Index was recorded in the “moderate” category with a reading of 180 at 4 pm. According to the 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’.
After months of severe AQI levels in the national capital, the month of March has brought respite. The drop in the AQI levels, however, can be attributed to the cloudy weather and subsequent rains accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds.