Delhi recorded its wettest October day in four years after overnight rain, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red alert for more showers, thunderstorms and lightning across the capital on Friday.
The city received 61.4 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am, taking October’s cumulative rainfall to 123.3 mm, according to weather data cited by the IMD. The rainfall also pushed Delhi’s monthly total close to the 128 mm recorded during the whole of October 2022, when the city last saw a higher single-day October rainfall of 74 mm on October 9.
The IMD said light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning was very likely at most places over the following three hours, with heavy rainfall expected at isolated locations. Its red alert covered southeast Delhi, east Delhi, Shahdara, central Delhi, northeast Delhi, south Delhi, New Delhi, southwest Delhi, west Delhi, northwest Delhi and north Delhi.
The most intense rainfall in the available station-wise data was recorded at Jharoda Kalan, which received 89 mm between 8.30 am on Thursday and 6 am on Friday. Lodi Road recorded 63 mm and Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, received 56.5 mm. Jhajjar recorded 47 mm, Narayana 44.5 mm, Pitampura 42.5 mm and Pusa 41.5 mm.
Other reported totals included 41 mm at Kamla Nehru Nagar in Ghaziabad, 40.9 mm at Pragati Maidan, 36 mm in Gurugram, 35.5 mm in Janakpuri, 35 mm in Muradnagar and 30 mm at Northcap University in Gurugram. Mayur Vihar received 9 mm and Jafarpur 1 mm. Data was unavailable for Najafgarh, Mehrauli, Chhatarpur and Hindon in Ghaziabad.
The rain brought a temporary improvement in Delhi’s air quality. The city’s Air Quality Index stood at 90 at 9.30 am, placing it in the ‘satisfactory’ category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. Data on the CPCB’s SAMEER app showed 36 monitoring stations in the satisfactory category and 16 in the moderate category.
Under the CPCB scale, AQI readings from zero to 50 are classified as good, 51 to 100 as satisfactory, 101 to 200 as moderate, 201 to 300 as poor, 301 to 400 as very poor and 401 to 500 as severe. The improvement indicates how rainfall can quickly alter pollution conditions, although the source report does not establish how long the better air quality will persist.
Temperatures also fell across parts of the capital. The minimum temperature at Safdarjung was 17.2 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees above normal. Palam recorded 15.4 degrees Celsius, while the Ridge recorded 16.8 degrees Celsius. Lodi Road registered 18 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar 17.4 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature was expected to settle around 27 degrees Celsius.
The continuing alert places attention on road conditions, storm-water drainage and travel across Delhi and the adjoining National Capital Region as more rain and thunderstorms remain forecast. The IMD’s next weather warning covers the immediate period following Friday morning, with heavy rainfall possible at isolated locations.
