Delhi woke up to overcast skies and a slightly chilly morning on Monday, as rain lashed parts of the city, including Kartavya Path, Dwarka, and other areas.
The MSN weather alert has forecast light rain from early morning till 8:10 am. “Light Rain/ Light Thunderstorm with Lightning (wind speed 30-40 kmph) is very likely to occur at many places over Delhi in the next 3 hours,” it said at 5:30 am.
Light rain from ‘forenoon to afternoon’
The temperature in Delhi is hovering near normal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, while predicting a generally cloudy sky over the national capital with a possibility of light rain.
According to the latest forecast, very light rain is expected to return to Delhi on Monday afternoon, with the possibility of thunderstorms and lightning caused by an active western disturbance.
“Generally cloudy sky. Possibility of very light rain/drizzle accompanied with thunderstorm/lightning during forenoon to afternoon,” IMD's latest press release read.
A calm, predominant surface wind of 5 kmph from the northwest is also expected during the morning, gradually increasing to 15 kmph during the afternoon. The wind speed will gradually decrease, becoming less than 10 kmph from the north direction during the evening and night, the IMD said.
The weather department said the maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi are expected to be around 30° Celsius and 17° Celsius, respectively, on Monday.
“The minimum temperature will be near normal (-1.5°C to 1.5°C) at most places, and the maximum temperature will be near normal (-1.5°C to 1.5°C) at most places over Delhi,” it added.
On Sunday, the maximum temperature was 29.5° Celsius, two notches below the seasonal average. The minimum temperature settled at 15.6° Celsius, 1.1 notches below the seasonal average, the weather agency said.
Delhi AQI
Delhi's air quality was recorded in the 'moderate' category at 4 pm on Sunday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 153, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero 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'.
Western Disturbance over Northern India
IMD, in its latest weather bulletin, has forecast light rainfall with occasional thunderstorms and winds reaching up to 30–50 kmph over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and parts of Rajasthan from 23-26 March.
A yellow alert for thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds of 30-40 kmph has been issued for several Himachal districts, including Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, and Mandi districts, on Monday and Thursday.
In East and Central India, the weather agency forecast light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms and gusty winds over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Vidarbha on Monday.
There is a possibility of isolated heavy rainfall on 24 March over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Meghalaya. Scattered thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds are likely to continue over Northeast India till 26 March, the IMD said.
It also alerted about a fresh feeble Western Disturbance, which is likely to affect northwest India from 26 March.