The national capital woke up to a clear sky on Saturday morning, a day after a large-scale rainfall was witnessed in the region. The rain has resulted in a drop in the temperatures and has also provided relief from the levels of pollution in the region.
As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi-NCR will witness a partly cloudy sky on Saturday, along with shallow to moderate fog in the early morning hours. There are also chances of strong surface winds, blowing at 10-20 kmph.
However, there is no warning from the weather department regarding rain in Delhi. There are no warnings for the next 6 days, so there will be a dry period.
Temperatures set to dip further next week
A drastic fall in minimum temperatures has been predicted by weather officials. The IMD has stated that the temperature may drop by 5-6 degrees Celsius in the next three days, followed by a rise in temperatures.
Also Read | Delhi sees seasonâs first major rain, AQI improves; Shimla, Kashmir receive heavy snow
Cold and âbiteyâ northwest winds are forecast to turn up again between Saturday and Monday to once again bring cool nights. Delhi has experienced nights of 12°C and a high of 19°C so far this January 23rd. The temperature for January 24 is forecast to dip between 7°C and 17 °C.
To explain why there has been a similar pattern, Mahesh Palawat, a vice president at Skymet, said that the chilly northwest winds will make a short return following a fresh mountain snowfall.
âAnother western disturbance will be seen from January 26, and so, we will only see northwesterly winds persist for around two days. This will mean that while the minimum dips, it will not be a sharp dip, and so, coldwave conditions are unlikely,â he said.
Rainfall breaks January record
Officially, Delhi received the highest single-day rain in January in the last three years. Delhi has picked up 19.8 mm of rain. Delhi last saw such rain on January 30, 2023, when it received 20.3 mm of rain.
Air quality improves, but remains âpoorâ
It modestly helped in improving the quality of the air, even as this quality continued to fall in the âpoorâ band. At 7:05 am on Saturday, the Air Quality Index of Delhi had reached 264: this data is based on the Sameer App of the Central Pollution Control Board.
The Centre has stated that, based on the Air Quality Early Warning System in Delhi, the air quality for January 24-26 will remain in the âpoorâ bracket. The air quality expected in the subsequent six days, i.e., January 27 onwards, will be in the âpoorâ or âvery poorâ bracket.
Gurugram under orange alert
In Gurugram, there was approximately 12 mm of rainfall between 8 am and 5 pm on Friday. Subsequently, the IMD issued an orange alert until Saturday noon by upgrading the existing yellow alert for thunderstorms, accompanied by hailstorms, lightning, and very strong winds of 40-60 kmph at isolated places.
People have been advised to stay indoors and take shelter in safe buildings because of the possibility of flying debris due to strong winds and hailstorms. A yellow alert has also been extended to the southern districts of Haryana until Sunday because of the possibility of dense fog and dust storms.
