Rains, gusty winds sweep Delhi, wettest March since 2023

New Delhi: Rain and gusty winds swept the national capital on Thursday, sending the day temperature dipping sharply, and turning March into the wettest in three years, with an average of 9.4 mm of precipitation.

The maximum temperature settled at 26.8 degrees Celsius, the lowest so far this month.

The IMD has issued an orange alert for the city till 11.15 pm.

According to the weather office, an orange alert stands for "be prepared" for severe weather conditions that could disrupt daily life, including transport and routine activities.

Meanwhile, a persistent cloud cover and intermittent rainfall brought relief to the city, sweltering in warmer conditions for days.

The rainfall recorded during the day stood at 8.2 mm at the city's base observatory.

At Safdarjung, the city's base station, 9.4 mm of average rainfall has been recorded till March 19 against a normal monthly average of 12.6 mm.

The last time higher rainfall was recorded in March was in 2023, when the monthly total stood at 50.4 mm, underlining the intensity of the current spell.

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) till 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 recorded showers, reflecting precipitation across the capital with varying intensity.

Light rainfall was recorded across parts of Delhi also 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 till 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 degrees 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 earlier predicted "hailstorm and thunderstorm with moderate rainfall and lightning (40–50 kmph gusty winds)" 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.

"Western disturbance is currently positioned over North Pakistan and adjoining Jammu and Kashmir, which is why the western Himalayan regions are witnessing 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 PTI.

He said that although earlier forecasts indicated stronger rainfall activity, the system is now moving towards the eastern parts of the country, and conditions are likely to remain similar to what is being experienced at present.

"The pre-monsoon activity has also arrived earlier than usual. Typically, it begins towards the end of March, but this time it has been advanced because the first 10 days of March recorded unusually high temperatures, and the western disturbance has been more intense. As a result, the pre-monsoon phase has been preponed," Palawat said.

Delhi's AQI stood at 137 in the "moderate" category, improving from the "poor" category recorded a day earlier, aided by rainfall and strong winds that helped disperse pollutants.

According to the CPCB, 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”.