A pedestrian amid rains, at Kartavya Path in New Delhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: A dust storm followed by rain was witnessed in parts of Delhi on Saturday, with the weather department predicting gusty winds and more showers in the coming hours.
Several areas in Delhi’s central, south, southwest, north zones and parts of the National Capital Region (NCR), including Noida, experienced rain, thunderstorms and dust storms.
In its latest weather notification, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, "In continuation of the previous weather alert, dust storms followed by thunderstorms with light to moderate rainfall, lightning, and gusty winds of 40-60 kmph are very likely to occur across Delhi and NCR in the coming hours." Some parts of Delhi NCR, including Noida, also reported tree uprooting due to the storm.
Meanwhile, the maximum temperature in the national capital settled at 40.8 degrees celsius, 0.4 notch above normal.
The minimum temperature on Saturday was 24.3 degrees Celsius, 2.2 notches below normal.
The IMD has forecast a thunderstorm with rain for Sunday. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to settle around 42 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Meanwhile, Delhi's 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) data, which updates daily by 4 pm, was not shared by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
However, the hourly data at 6 pm showed the AQI in the “moderate” category with a reading of 157.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".