Overcast, chilly day in Delhi after highest single-day Dec rainfall in 101 years

New Delhi: Delhiites experienced an overcast and chilly day after the city recorded the highest single-day December rainfall in 101 years.

According to the weather department, Delhi recorded 41.2 mm rain in the past 24 four hours till 8.30 am on Saturday, due to which daytime temperatures remained below normal throughout the day.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the capital recorded the highest-ever rainfall on a single day in the month on December 3, 1923, at 75.7 mm.

The rains also made December 2024 the fifth-highest in terms of monthly rainfall since records began in 1901, an official from the weather department said.

"The 24-hour cumulative rainfall ending at 8.30 am today is the second-highest since 1901 at Safdarjung. The monthly rainfall is the fifth-highest. The 24-hour cumulative rainfall refers to the rainfall during the past 24 hours, ending at 8.30 am IST on the given date," the IMD official said.

An active western disturbance and its interaction with easterly winds are causing light to moderate rainfall and thunderstorms over northwest and central India, including Delhi-NCR, the IMD said.

Delhi saw a high of 15.8 degrees Celsius, 4.6 degrees below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department.

The minimum temperature remained higher than usual in this part of the month on account of the rain at 12.7 degrees Celsius on Saturday, six notches above the season's average.

The weather department has forecast very dense fog for Sunday, with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to settle at 17 and 9 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The national capital's Air Quality Index also showed great improvement. The 24-hour AQI was recorded at 135 in the 'moderate' category at 4 pm on Saturday. The city's AQI was in the 'very poor' category on Friday.

Out of 28 monitoring stations, four -- Aipur, IHBAS Dilshad Garden, Lodhi Road, and Sri Aurobindo Marg -- recorded AQI levels in the 'satisfactory' category, with readings below 100.

The rest of the stations recorded AQI levels in the 'moderate' and 'poor' categories, according to the Sameer app.

An AQI between 0 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.' The humidity level fluctuated between 98 and 100 per cent during the day.