Delhi recorded its wettest October day in four years after overnight rain brought 61.4 mm of precipitation in the 24 hours ending 8.30 a.m. on Friday, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red alert for more rain, thunderstorms and lightning across the capital.
The rainfall pushed Delhi’s cumulative October total to 123.3 mm, the highest monthly figure since 2022. The city last recorded a wetter October day on October 9, 2022, when 74 mm of rain was reported. Delhi received 128 mm during the whole of October that year, a total the capital could approach or exceed as further showers are expected.
The IMD said light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning was very likely at most places in Delhi during the three hours after its warning. Heavy rain was also forecast at isolated locations. The red alert covered south-east Delhi, east Delhi, Shahdara, central Delhi, north-east Delhi, south Delhi, New Delhi, south-west Delhi, west Delhi, north-west Delhi and north Delhi.
Rainfall varied sharply across the city and its neighbouring areas. Jharoda Kalan recorded the highest total at 89 mm, followed by Lodi Road at 63 mm and Safdarjung at 56.5 mm. Jhajjar received 47 mm, while Narayana recorded 44.5 mm, Pitampura 42.5 mm, Pusa 41.5 mm and Pragati Maidan 40.9 mm. Other reported totals included 35.5 mm in Janakpuri, 36 mm in Gurugram, 35 mm in Muradnagar and 41 mm at Kamla Nehru Nagar in Ghaziabad.
Mayur Vihar recorded 9 mm and Jafarpur 1 mm. Data was unavailable for Najafgarh, Mehrauli, Chhatarpur and Hindon in Ghaziabad, highlighting the uneven availability of station-level rainfall information across the wider urban region.
The rain also brought a measurable improvement in Delhi’s air quality. The city’s Air Quality Index stood at 90 at 9.30 a.m., placing it in the ‘satisfactory’ category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. Data on the CPCB’s SAMEER app showed that 36 monitoring stations recorded satisfactory air quality, while 16 stations were in the moderate category.
Under the CPCB scale, an AQI from zero to 50 is classified as good, 51 to 100 as satisfactory and 101 to 200 as moderate. Higher categories are poor, very poor and severe, covering AQI bands from 201 to 500.
Temperatures remained relatively mild after the rain. The minimum temperature at Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, was 17.2°C, 1.1 degrees above normal. Palam recorded 15.4°C, 1.6 degrees below normal, while the Ridge recorded 16.8°C. Lodi Road recorded 18°C and Ayanagar 17.4°C. The maximum temperature was expected to settle around 27°C.
The immediate forecast leaves several parts of Delhi exposed to further disruption from intense showers and thunderstorms. The IMD’s next three-hour warning remains the key operational update for residents, civic agencies and transport users as the rain system moves across the capital.
