Delhi logs 61.4 mm rain in 24 hours; IMD issues red alert for heavy showers

• Delhi received 61.4 mm rain in 24 hours, taking October's total to 123.3 mm. IMD issued a red alert for more rain and thunderstorms

• Jharoda Kalan recorded the highest rainfall at 89 mm, followed by Lodi Road (63 mm) and Safdarjung (56.5 mm)

• Rain improved air quality, with Delhi's AQI at 90. Thirty-six stations recorded satisfactory air quality and 16 moderate

Delhi witnessed a spell of heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red alert warning of further rain, thunderstorms and lightning across several parts of the capital on Friday.

The city received 61.4 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Friday, taking the month's cumulative rainfall to 123.3 mm, according to weather data. This is among the highest single-day October rainfall totals recorded in recent years.

The last time Delhi received more rainfall in a single October day was on 9 October 2022, when the city recorded 74 mm. The entire month that year saw 128 mm of rainfall. With more showers forecast, the current month's total could approach or surpass that mark.

The IMD said light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning was very likely at most places over the next three hours, with heavy showers expected at isolated locations.

The red alert covered several parts of the capital, including southeast Delhi, east Delhi, Shahdara, central Delhi, northeast Delhi, south Delhi, New Delhi, southwest Delhi, west Delhi, northwest Delhi and north Delhi.

At Safdarjung, Delhi's base weather station, the minimum temperature settled at 17.2 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees above normal. Palam recorded a minimum of 15.4 degrees Celsius, 1.6 degrees below normal, while the Ridge registered 16.8 degrees Celsius, 0.5 degrees below normal.

Lodi Road recorded a minimum temperature of 18 degrees Celsius, three degrees above normal, while Ayanagar registered 17.4 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees above normal. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 27 degrees Celsius.

Station-wise rainfall data for the period between 8.30 am on Thursday and 6 am on Friday showed that Jharoda Kalan received the highest rainfall at 89 mm, followed by Lodi Road at 63 mm and Safdarjung at 56.5 mm.

Jhajjar recorded 47 mm of rainfall, while Narayana received 44.5 mm. Pitampura and Pusa recorded 42.5 mm and 41.5 mm, respectively. Kamla Nehru Nagar in Ghaziabad received 41 mm, while Pragati Maidan recorded 40.9 mm.

Gurugram received 36 mm of rainfall, followed by Janakpuri at 35.5 mm, Muradnagar at 35 mm and Northcap University in Gurugram at 30 mm. Mayur Vihar recorded 9 mm, while Jafarpur received just 1 mm. Data was unavailable for Najafgarh, Mehrauli, Chhatarpur and Hindon in Ghaziabad.

The rainfall also brought some relief from air pollution in the capital. Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 90 at 9.30 am on Friday, placing it in the 'satisfactory' category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Data available on the CPCB's SAMEER app showed that 36 monitoring stations across Delhi recorded satisfactory air quality, while 16 stations remained in the moderate category.

Under the CPCB's classification, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor' and 401-500 'severe'.

With PTI inputs