- Delhi received overnight rain, bringing cooler weather, signalling winter.
- IMD issued orange alert warning more rain and thunderstorms.
- Rain significantly improved city’s air quality to moderate category.
- Wider rainfall forecast for central, eastern, and southern states.
Delhi on Friday witnessed a shift in weather after overnight rain lashed several parts of the national capital, bringing a noticeable nip to the air and signalling onset of winter. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for all 11 districts until 9 am, warning of more rain, thunderstorms and strong winds. The downpour has alo improved the city’s air quality to the ‘moderate’ category.
The overnight showers followed a day of unusually cool weather on Thursday, when Delhi recorded its lowest maximum temperature for October in four years. The maximum temperature at Safdarjung, the city’s base weather station, settled at 25.4 degrees Celsius, 5.6 degrees below normal.
The last time Safdarjung recorded a lower maximum temperature in October was on October 8, 2022, when the mercury settled at 23.4 degrees Celsius. Light rain was reported in parts of Delhi on Thursday as dark clouds hung over the capital. The city had also recorded ‘poor’ air quality for the second consecutive day.
Delhi Rainfall: Safdarjung Records 49.3 Mm Overnight
According to the IMD’s rainfall report, several parts of Delhi received rain during the intervening night of October 29 and 30. Safdarjung recorded the highest rainfall of 49.3 mm between 11:30 pm and 2:30 am.
Palam received 21 mm, while Pusa and Narayana recorded 20 mm each. Jharoda Kalan also received 20 mm during the night. Janakpuri recorded 11.5 mm, Pitampura 12.5 mm and Mayur Vihar 4.5 mm.
Rain continued in several areas between 2:30 am and 5:30 am on Friday. During this period, Safdarjung recorded another 5.4 mm, while Palam received 4.2 mm. Pusa recorded 4 mm, Janakpuri 6 mm, Narayana 5 mm and Pitampura 5 mm.
Lodhi Road, Ridge and Aya Nagar received very light rainfall, while no rain was recorded in Najafgarh during the period.
Jharoda Kalan had also received 37.5 mm of rain earlier on Thursday, between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm.
Late-night visuals from areas around Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station and Jamia Millia Islamia showed rain-soaked roads and steady showers under dark, cloud-covered skies.
IMD Issues Orange Alert Across Delhi, Warns Of More Rain
The IMD has issued an orange alert for all 11 districts of Delhi, with the warning remaining in effect until 9 am on Friday.
The weather department has forecast light to moderate rainfall across most areas, with heavy showers possible at isolated locations. Thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds are also expected.
Wind speeds could range between 25 and 35 kmph, with gusts reaching up to 45 kmph. The IMD has cautioned residents about possible waterlogging, falling trees and traffic disruptions.
The Regional Meteorological Centre in New Delhi had forecast widespread weather activity across Delhi and adjoining NCR areas, including Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad. The forecast indicated generally cloudy skies, with one or two spells of light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning. Isolated areas were also likely to receive heavy rainfall during the night.
The wet spell was expected to continue into October 30, with very light to light rain in several locations and moderate showers during the morning and forenoon hours.
Delhi AQI Improves To ‘Moderate’ After Overnight Rain
The overnight rainfall also brought relief on the air quality front. Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI), which had remained above 200 in the ‘poor’ category on Wednesday and Thursday, improved to 133 in the ‘moderate’ category at 4 am on Friday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The improvement came after the capital recorded poor air quality for two consecutive days, even as light rain and overcast conditions brought down temperatures on Thursday.
Delhi Weather Forecast: Clear Skies Expected From November 1
The IMD’s forecast indicates that weather conditions are likely to improve over the weekend. Skies are expected to become partly cloudy on October 31, with no weather warnings in place.
Delhi-NCR is likely to see mainly clear skies and stable weather conditions on November 1 and 2, with the IMD indicating green alert codes across the districts.
The weather department had also issued a yellow alert for Delhi and adjoining NCR districts on October 29, forecasting rain and thunderstorms over the following 24 to 48 hours.
Heavy Rain Forecast In Several States
While rainfall activity is expected to ease over Delhi-NCR, several central and eastern states are likely to witness intense precipitation under the influence of the remnant cyclonic circulation.
The IMD has forecast isolated extremely heavy rainfall in north Bihar on October 30, as well as in parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Jharkhand, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and East Uttar Pradesh are also expected to receive widespread heavy to very heavy rainfall.
A low-to-moderate risk of flash floods has been flagged until October 30 in vulnerable watersheds across several states.
These include Korba, Surguja and Balrampur in Chhattisgarh; Sundargarh, Keonjhar and Sambalpur in Odisha; Palamu and Simdega in Jharkhand; East and West Champaran, Rohtas and Bhojpur in Bihar; and Sonbhadra, Ghazipur and Ballia in East Uttar Pradesh.
Rainfall Activity To Increase In Southern States From November 2
The IMD has also forecast an increase in rainfall activity over southern peninsular India from early November as a system over the Bay of Bengal approaches.
Scattered showers are expected to continue in parts of the region until the end of October. Between November 2 and 4, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall is likely over Coastal Karnataka, Kerala, South Interior Karnataka, Telangana and Coastal Andhra Pradesh.
Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam are likely to receive isolated very heavy rainfall on November 2 and 3. Strong gusty winds reaching up to 60 kmph and thundersqualls are also forecast over Telangana.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
