Several parts of Delhi and the wider National Capital Region (NCR) witnessed light rain during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a drop in the maximum temperature for today.
The maximum temperature is likely to range between 17-19 degree Celsius, while the minimum temperature may remain around 10-12 degree Celsius.
According to the IMD, rainfall across northwest India, including Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, western Uttar Pradesh, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, is expected to remain below the Long Period Average (LPA) in February. The department says the monthly rainfall is most likely to fall below 78% of the LPA for these seven meteorological sub-divisions.
The IMD also issued a yellow alert for the national capital, warning that isolated areas may experience thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds of 30-40 kmph. Similar conditions are expected across neighbouring Haryana and Chandigarh. In Haryana, Karnal experienced a hailstorm early in the day.
The IMD stated that the rainfall signalled the beginning of an active weather phase, with thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds, and hail likely to affect several states during the day.
The Long Period Average is the 30-year average of rainfall or temperature for a region, used as a benchmark to define normal climatic conditions.
For February, the IMD expects both minimum and maximum temperatures to stay above normal. This means fewer cold nights and warmer afternoons, as winter conditions are likely to retreat earlier than usual. Meteorologists also predict that cold wave days across northwest India, including Delhi, will remain below normal, something they link to weakening La Nina conditions.
Meanwhile, the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi has projected that the city's air quality will remain in the "very poor" category from February 1 to February 3.
Although residents woke up to wet weather accompanied by light to moderate fog, and despite the morning rain, the Air Quality Index (AQI) continued to remain in the 'very poor' category.
At 8:00 am, Delhi was the second most polluted city in the country, recording an AQI of 321 in the "very poor" category. Other cities in the region also reported worrying levels of pollution, with Ghaziabad registering an AQI of 307 (very poor), Greater Noida at 275 (poor), Noida at 319 (very poor), and Gurugram at 275 (poor).
On Saturday, the AQI stood in the "poor" range with a reading of 278, according to CPCB data.
(With inputs from news agencies)
