Rain is likely to return to the Capital on Friday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a yellow alert and forecasting light showers and gusty winds during the day. This is likely to bring the mercury down by 2-3 degrees again in most parts of the city, met officials said.
IMD issues a yellow alert to warn the public of a weather phenomenon, which is upgraded to an orange alert if preventive action is required.
Also read: IMD warns of fresh spell of hailstorm, rainfall from Thursday: What experts say
“While there are chances of some places in Delhi recording drizzle late on Thursday night, there are chances of light rainfall being recorded at most locations on Friday, accompanied by gusty winds in some places,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD.
He said Delhi-NCR is under the influence of a fresh western disturbance from Thursday, which is likely to retreat only from Saturday. “From Saturday onwards, no rain is expected, but cloudiness will continue to prevail in the region for another few days, which will keep the maximum temperature around 30°C or lower.” Srivastava added.
The IMD forecast for Friday shows a maximum of 28°C is expected during the day, while the minimum temperature will stay around 16°C.
On Thursday, Safdarjung, representational of Delhi’s weather, recorded a maximum of 30.5°C on Thursday, which is around normal for this time of the season. The minimum was recorded at 14.8°C–two degrees below normal. To be sure, Delhi’s maximum temperature has been below the 30-degree mark for the last five days, largely owing to cloudy skies and rain in parts of Delhi-NCR. While the maximum temperature on Wednesday was recorded at 28.7°C–two degrees below normal–it was 25.8°C on Tuesday, 27.1°C on Monday, 28°C on Sunday and 25.3°C on Saturday.
Also read: March likely to leave on a cooler note in Delhi: IMD
Delhi’s air quality, meanwhile, stayed in the “moderate” range, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 151 according to Central Pollution Control Board’s daily bulletin, a slight improvement from Wednesday’s reading of 164. Forecasts show despite rain, Delhi’s air quality is likely to remain in the “moderate” range on Friday as well.
“The air quality is likely to remain in the ‘moderate’ category from March 24 to 26. The outlook for the subsequent six days shows the air quality is likely to largely remain in the ‘moderate’ category as well,” said the Early Warning System (EWS), a forecasting model used by the ministry of earth sciences.
An AQI reading 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”.
