Delhi-NCR weather: Overnight showers bring relief to National Capital, pre-monsoon rain likely over next three days

Delhi’s minimum temperature settled at 29°C on Saturday as overnight showers and thunderstorms were followed by a cloudy morning. The maximum temperature is likely to hit 40°C, the India Meteorological Department said. The minimum temperature at the Safdarjung weather station was 29.8°C, three degrees above normal, on Saturday.

Pre-monsoon rainfall is likely to intensify slightly in Delhi and the National Capital Region by Sunday and continue till Tuesday, leading to a significant drop in temperatures over Delhi-NCR, private weather forecaster Skymet said in a report.

According to a Met centre update issued at 9 AM for the next two hours, strong winds, dust or thunderstorm, and light rainfall were expected over parts of south and southeast Delhi and parts of NCR, including Faridabad, Gurgaon, and Manesar. Wind speeds were expected to hit 30-40 km per hour in Delhi-NCR and adjoining areas. The bulletin said light-intensity rain was expected over isolated regions of the city.

The weather office also issued a ‘yellow alert’ for Monday and Tuesday. The Met agency has predicted a partly cloudy sky and drizzle to keep the mercury in control over the next two to three days.

Parts of Delhi witnessed strong winds, lightning, and rainfall on Friday. The Safdarjung weather station recorded 0.8 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, while the Palam station recorded 2.4 mm. The observatory at Aya Nagar recorded 3.3 mm of rainfall and the one at Lodhi Road registered 1.5 mm.

The wet spell was induced by a western disturbance in northwest India. Rainfall and thunderstorms have also been forecast for the western Himalayas over the next five days.

On Friday, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 266, in the ‘poor’ category. The air quality is likely to remain in the ‘poor’ category on Saturday, the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi said.