The weather in Delhi experienced a sudden change on Thursday evening as the sky turned cloudy, followed by light drizzle and duststorm in some parts of the city, providing much-needed relief to Delhiites amid a heatwave that had gripped the national capital for the past few days.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rain, accompanied by light thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph, in several parts of Delhi later on Thursday evening.
The monitoring stations at Ridge and Ayanagar recorded heatwave conditions on Thursday, with the maximum temperature settling at 40.9 degrees celsius and 40.2 degrees celsius, respectively, according to the IMD.
The city’s primary weather station at Safdarjung recorded a high of 39.6 degrees celsius, 4.5 notches above normal, while Palam reported 39.1 degrees Celsius, and Lodhi Road 39.6 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.
The capital recorded the season’s first heatwave on Monday, when the mercury touched 40 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD.
The minimum temperature on Thursday was recorded at 25.9 degrees Celsius, nearly six notches above normal and the highest night temperature recorded in the month of April in the past three years, IMD data showed.
In 2022, the highest minimum temperature in April was recorded at 26.2 degrees Celsius. In 2024 and 2023, the minimum temperature in April did not touch the 25-degree mark.
The humidity level in the capital on Thursday fluctuated between 55 per cent and 30 per cent during the day, according to the IMD.
For Friday, the weather office has forecast thunderstorm with rain, with the maximum temperature likely to settle around 37 degrees Celsius, and the minimum around 24 degrees Celsius.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded in the ‘poor’ category on Thursday with a reading of 256 at 4 pm, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (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’.
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