New Delhi, March 19 – Heavy rainfall and strong winds hit the national capital on Thursday, bringing a sharp drop in daytime temperatures and making March the wettest month in three years, with an average of 9.4 mm of precipitation.
The maximum temperature reached 26.8 degrees Celsius, the lowest this month.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for the city until 11:15 pm.
According to the weather office, an orange alert signifies "be prepared" for severe weather conditions that could disrupt daily life, including transport and routine activities.
Meanwhile, persistent cloud cover and intermittent rainfall brought relief to the city, which had been experiencing warmer conditions for days.
Rainfall recorded during the day was 8.2 mm at the city's base observatory.
At Safdarjung, the city's base station, 9.4 mm of rainfall was recorded by March 19, compared to a normal monthly average of 12.6 mm.
The last time higher rainfall was recorded in March was in 2023, when the monthly total was 50.4 mm, highlighting the intensity of the current weather.
Rainfall was recorded at Safdarjung (8.2 mm), Palam (6.2 mm), Lodhi Road (8.2 mm), Ridge (8.6 mm), and Ayanagar (7.2 mm) until 8:30 am, while other stations such as Pitampura (5.5 mm), Pusa (11.0 mm), Mayur Vihar (3.0 mm), and Janakpuri (12.5 mm) also experienced showers, reflecting varying intensities of precipitation across the capital.
Light rainfall was also recorded in parts of Delhi on Wednesday.
At Safdarjung, a trace of rainfall was recorded between 8:30 am and 11:30 am.
Ayanagar recorded relatively higher rainfall of 0.5 mm until 2:30 pm and 0.7 mm by 5:30 pm. Mayur Vihar recorded 3.0 mm of precipitation.
On Thursday, maximum temperatures across the city remained below normal, with Safdarjung and Lodhi Road recording 26.8 degrees Celsius, 4.5 and 3.2 degrees below normal.
Ridge recorded 26.5 degrees Celsius, 5.3 degrees below normal, while Palam and Ayanagar recorded 25.3 degrees Celsius and 25.2 degrees Celsius, 6.3 and 6.8 degrees below normal.
The city recorded a minimum temperature of 17.6 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, which is 1.1 degrees above normal. Palam and Ridge recorded 17.0 degrees Celsius, 0.6 degrees above normal and 0.7 degrees below normal.
Lodhi Road recorded 17.7 degrees Celsius, 2.7 degrees above normal, while Ayanagar recorded 18.2 degrees Celsius, 2.0 degrees above normal, indicating relatively warmer nights at some stations despite the rainy conditions.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had previously predicted "hailstorm and thunderstorms with moderate rainfall and gusty winds (40–50 kmph)" in Delhi, Noida, Dadri, and Greater Noida.
The IMD has forecast similar conditions for Friday, with light to moderate rainfall, thunderstorms, and gusty winds likely to continue over parts of Delhi-NCR.
"The Western Disturbance is currently located over North Pakistan and adjoining Jammu and Kashmir, which is why the Western Himalayan regions are experiencing heavy rainfall. At the same time, an induced cyclonic circulation over Haryana is leading to rainfall across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab," Mahesh Palawat of Skymet told