- विज्ञापन -
New Delhi: Delhi and its nearby regions experienced moderate to heavy rainfall, along with a hailstorm on Saturday, leading to a significant drop in temperatures.
The rain began early in the day and is expected to persist, causing temperatures to fall sharply. Areas affected include Palam, Safdarjung, Lodi Road, IGI Airport, Mehrauli, Chhattarpur, Ayanagar, Deramandi, Gurugram, Faridabad, and Manesar, with Noida and Manesar also anticipating moderate to heavy rain and lightning.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘orange’ alert for the capital, indicating ongoing severe weather conditions.
The heavy rainfall and strong winds resulted in uprooted trees across various locations in the city. In Sector-9, RK Puram, a part of the road collapsed, causing a motorcycle and a car to fall into the void.
The IMD forecasts light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms in parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, affecting places such as Yamunanagar, Jhajjar, and Hodal in Haryana, as well as Saharanpur, Gangoh, Muzaffarnagar, and other locations in Uttar Pradesh, plus Tizara and Alwar in Rajasthan.
In Uttar Pradesh, Mathura city experienced heavy rainfall late Friday night.
Before the rains, Delhi faced significant waterlogging and severe traffic disruptions due to persistent rain on Friday. On Saturday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 12 degrees Celsius, while the maximum reached 19 degrees Celsius.
According to the IMD, Friday marked the highest rainfall in December for Delhi in 15 years, as the downpour began early Thursday and continued throughout the day. The rains slightly improved the air quality in the city, although it remained in the ‘very poor’ category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 355 reported at 2 p.m., as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Specific AQI levels included 390 in Anand Vihar, 314 at IGI Airport (T3), and 360 in ITO, among others. For comparison, earlier readings at 7 a.m. were even higher.
The central government’s air quality monitoring panel recently lifted Stage IV (‘Severe+’) measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) following the improvement in air quality, but Stages I, II, and III remain in force to avoid further decline, according to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on December 24.
The slight improvement in air quality has been attributed to favorable meteorological conditions, including increased wind speeds, as noted by both the IMD and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM).
