Delhi welcomes first rain of the year, air quality sees improvement
By 8.30 am, Safdarjung and Palam recorded 1.3 mm of rain each, with other areas logging between 1.0 mm and 1.8 mm, IMD data shows
A prolonged spell of dry winter weather finally gave way on Friday as Delhi welcomed its first rain of the year, with showers sweeping across several parts of the capital in the early hours.
Rain accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds brought a brief but welcome reprieve from the city’s stubborn pollution, as the season’s first intense western disturbance made its presence felt, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
By 8.30 am, Safdarjung and Palam had each recorded 1.3 mm of rainfall, while Lodi Road received 1.6 mm. The Ridge logged 1.8 mm, Ayanagar 1.7 mm, Janakpuri 1.5 mm and Mayur Vihar 1.0 mm, IMD data showed.
The weather office forecast one or two spells of rain during the early to forenoon hours, followed by another round of very light to light showers in the afternoon and evening. With conditions easing, the weather alert for the city was downgraded from orange to yellow.
The showers ushered in a noticeable improvement in air quality, with Delhi’s Air Quality Index dropping to 293 in the “poor” category, down from 313 on Thursday afternoon, according to the CPCB’s Sameer app. Of the monitoring stations, 23 reported “very poor” air quality, 15 were in the “poor” category, while one station recorded “moderate” levels.
Temperatures across the capital rose sharply overnight. Safdarjung recorded a minimum of 13.7 degrees Celsius, up seven degrees from the previous day, while Palam logged 13 degrees Celsius, five degrees higher. Lodi Road, the Ridge and Ayanagar recorded minimum temperatures of 14.1, 13.7 and 14.2 degrees Celsius respectively, reflecting a significant overnight rise.
Despite the warmer nights, the day is expected to remain cool, with the maximum temperature likely to hover around 18 degrees Celsius, well below Thursday’s 27.1 degrees.
The IMD said the western disturbance will continue to influence northwest India through Friday, bringing rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds to parts of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and north Rajasthan.
The weather department warned that rainfall could reduce visibility on highways and city roads, urging motorists to exercise caution. At Palam airport, visibility dropped to 1,000 metres from 2,500 metres at 6.30 am and was expected to fall further to around 800 metres.
Meanwhile, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Thursday revoked Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR, citing an overall improvement in air quality, while measures under Stages I and II remain in place.
With PTI inputs