NEW DELHI: Sporadic rains continued in the national capital for the third consecutive day on Tuesday, even as the minimum temperature rose to 13.2 degrees Celsius, six notches more than normal, the India Meteorological Department said.
The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, recorded 1.3 mm rainfall till 5.30 pm. The weather stations at Palam, Lodhi Road and Ridge recorded 5.3 mm, 0.4mm and 4.8 mm rainfall, respectively, during the period.
The minimum temperature rose to 13.2 degrees Celsius as a result of cloud cover.
The maximum temperature settled at 20.8 degrees Celsius. Clouds trap some of the outgoing infrared radiation and radiate it back downward, warming the ground.
The rains, under the influence of a strong Western Disturbance, come on the back of a ‘severe” cold wave that gripped Delhi in the run-up to New Year.
On Friday, the mercury plummeted to 1.1 degrees Celsius, the lowest in 15 years, and “very dense” fog lowered visibility to “zero” metres. Intense rains, thunder and lightning lashed the city on Sunday.
The Safdarjung Observatory recorded 39.9 mm rainfall between 8.30 am on Saturday to 2.30 pm on Sunday.
The WD is causing widespread snowfall in the hills. Once it withdraws, the mercury will fall again to 4 to 5 degrees Celsius, the official said.
The continuous rains have maintained the average air quality in ‘moderate’ category in NCR cities of Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida and Faridabad, while it was ‘satisfactory’ in Gurgaon, according to a 24-hour data issued by a government agency on Tuesday.
Pollutants PM 2.5 and PM 10 although remained prominent in the air of the five immediate neighbours of Delhi, according to the CPCB.