Delhi weather today: IMD issues orange, yellow alerts as heavy rains lash capital

Delhi rains

Parts of Delhi and its adjoining areas received heavy rain in the early hours of Monday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted more rain in the Delhi-NCR during the day and issued an orange alert for all districts of the national capital, News18 reported.

Neighboring cities, including Ghaziabad and Noida, were placed under a yellow alert, while Gurugram also came under an orange alert during the same period. According to the IMD’s nowcast viewed at approximately 1:20 am on Monday, Delhi’s orange alert remained in effect till 3:42 am and Gurugram’s warning was valid till 2:08 am.

Yellow alerts for Ghaziabad and Noida were in place till 1:55 am.

On Sunday, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 34.1 degrees Celsius, slightly below the seasonal average by 0.2°C. Meanwhile, the minimum temperature stood at 24.2 degrees Celsius, which was 1.9 degrees Celsius above the normal range for this time of year, as per IMD data.

Western disturbance to impact region

The IMD forecasts that a strong western disturbance currently affecting northwest India is likely to impact Delhi and the wider NCR region from Monday onwards. This system is expected to bring more widespread rainfall, followed by the arrival of cold northwesterly winds, which could lead to a drop in minimum temperatures starting Wednesday, the IMD added.

Officials noted that the rainfall on Sunday, along with expected showers early this week, is likely to improve air quality by dispersing accumulated pollutants.

On Saturday, Delhi’s 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 138 (moderate) at 4 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This marked a slight deterioration from Friday’s AQI of 88, which was categorized as ‘satisfactory’ — the best air quality recorded in the city since Dussehra in the past three years.