New Delhi, March 30 Rain and gusty winds of up to 56 kmph lashed parts of Delhi on Monday evening, bringing much-needed relief after the city had been experiencing a warm day with temperatures hovering around 35 degrees Celsius and humid conditions throughout the afternoon.
Rainfall activity picked up across Delhi between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm, with Safdarjung recording 0.5 mm, Palam 0.2 mm, Lodi Road 0.7 mm, Ridge 0.2 mm, Ayanagar 0.6 mm, Pusa 0.5 mm, and Janakpuri 0.5 mm, while Mayur Vihar recorded 1 mm rainfall, the highest among all stations.
However, between 8:30 am and 2:30 pm, most stations in the city recorded negligible rainfall, with only traces of very light rain at a few locations.
Strong surface winds were recorded in the late afternoon, with Pragati Maidan reporting the highest wind speed at 46 kmph, followed by Pusa (40 kmph) and Palam (38 kmph).
The maximum temperature across the city ranged between 34 and 36 degrees Celsius, with Ridge recording the highest at 35.7 degrees, followed by Safdarjung at 35.1 degrees.
The minimum temperature ranged between 19 and 21 degrees Celsius, with Palam recording the highest minimum at 21 degrees and Lodi Road the lowest at 19.4 degrees.
Explaining why temperatures have remained relatively high despite the rainfall, Mahesh Palawat of Skymet said that the showers occurred largely in the late afternoon, after the day's maximum temperature had already been recorded. "If the rain had occurred earlier in the day, it would have had a greater impact on the temperatures," he said.
Experts attributed the conditions to a western disturbance and an associated cyclonic circulation over northwest Rajasthan, which led to rainfall over parts of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and western Uttar Pradesh.
"Similar conditions are likely to continue, with light rain expected in isolated areas over the next few days. Light rainfall is likely between April 2 and 4, while thunderstorms are expected between April 6 and 8, which may prevent heatwave conditions in the early part of the month," Palawat said.
The air quality in Delhi was recorded in the moderate category, with an AQI of 180. According to the air quality early warning system, the AQI is likely to remain in the moderate category from March 31 to April 2.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, an AQI between 0 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".
