Rainfall and thunderstorms in the national capital region have brought a much-needed respite from the heatwave, driving morning temperatures significantly below the seasonal average following intermittent light rain and cloud cover.
With the base weather recording a minimum temperature of 24.6 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung on Saturday, according to officials, the reading is two degrees below the seasonal normal and down from Friday's minimum of 25.3 degrees Celsius. The IMD noted that similar weather patterns are likely to persist into Sunday, extending the yellow alert through tomorrow, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The figures represent a sharp decline from Thursday, when the minimum temperature stood at 28.4 degrees Celsius. Weather department officials attributed the cooling trend to light rainfall that lashed parts of the city over the past 48 hours, reported by PTI.
The Palam observatory recorded a minimum temperature of 21.5 degrees Celsius, marking a drop of 2.6 degrees from the previous day. Similarly, Lodhi Road registered 23.2 degrees Celsius, down by 2.4 degrees.
Meanwhile, the Ridge and Ayanagar stations recorded minimum temperatures of 22.3 degrees Celsius and 22.6 degrees Celsius, respectively, as the brief spell of rain brought widespread relief across the region.
Localised heavy spells were observed overnight, with the Ayanagar station recording 11.2 mm of rainfall between late Friday night and early Saturday morning. Other monitoring stations across the city remained largely dry during this period.
However, the weather department has issued a yellow alert for the weekend, warning of volatile conditions ahead. Residents can expect very light to light rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds reaching speeds of 40–50 kmph during Saturday afternoon and evening.
The IMD has forecast that maximum temperatures across the national capital are expected to slide further, likely settling comfortably between 34 and 36 degrees Celsius over the weekend.
Delhi's air quality improved on Saturday, with AQI dropping to 82 in the satisfactory category, down from 123. AQEWS forecasts that it will remain moderate to satisfactory in the coming days.
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