After Monday’s downpour, Delhi records highest 24-hr rainfall for March in 3 years

Recording 6.6 mm precipitation in just three hours, Delhi on Monday received the highest 24-hour rainfall for March in the past three years.

Heavy rain lashed parts of the national capital on Monday evening, sending people scurrying for cover. Commuters also faced waterlogging and traffic snarls while navigating the roads. The rain was accompanied by gusty winds reaching speeds up to 32 kilometres per hour and thunderstorms, the weather office said.

The Safdarjung observatory, the national capital’s primary weather station, recorded 6.6 mm rainfall. The observatory at Palam clocked 10.4 mm rainfall alongside strong winds reaching speeds of up to 46 kilometres per hour and thunderstorms.

“Monday’s rainfall was the highest in 24 hours recorded in three years in March,” the India Meteorological Department said.

Earlier during the day, pleasant weather conditions prevailed in Delhi with the maximum temperature settling at 27.1 degrees Celsius, three notches below the season’s average.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 17.4 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal, while humidity levels oscillated between 48 per cent and 94 per cent.

For Tuesday, the weather office has forecast generally cloudy skies with the possibility of very light rain or drizzle. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 26 and 16 degrees Celsius, respectively.

At 4 pm, Delhi’s 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded in the ‘moderate’ category at 154.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.

According to the government’s air quality forecast agency SAFAR, moderate surface winds are likely to maintain dispersion and air quality.

“Overall air quality is likely to be within ‘moderate’ or ‘upper end of satisfactory’ for the next three days due to moderate dispersion by surface wind speed as well as wash out by likely rain spells,” it said.

For the subsequent six days, the air quality is likely to remain in the ‘moderate’ category.