Delhi: Rain likely in city

Delhi: A sharp dip in temperature brought a cool start to Thursday morning, as the minimum temperature fell to 20.8 degrees Celcius — nearly 6 degrees below the seasonal average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The sudden drop came after a powerful storm swept through the city on Wednesday night, bringing high-speed winds, heavy rainfall, and hail. The intense weather event left two people dead and injured 11 others.

The IMD reported 12 mm of rainfall over the past 24 hours. Wednesday had seen the season’s warmest night, with the minimum temperature peaking at 30.2 degrees Celcius before the storm broke the heat spell.

For Thursday, the IMD has predicted a partly cloudy sky, while thunderstorms accompanied by rain are likely on Friday and Saturday.

Humidity levels stood at 69 per cent at 8:30 AM. The maximum temperature is expected to reach around 40 degrees Celcius.

Despite the rain, the city’s air quality remained poor, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 297 at 9 AM, as per data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). An AQI between 201 and 300 is classified as ‘poor’, while values between 301 and 400 fall into the ‘very poor’ category.

The CPCB defines AQI levels between 0–50 as ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, and 101–200 as ‘moderate’.

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At least two people were also killed and 11 others injured after a sandstorm and heavy rain hit the national capital Delhi and Noida last evening. The heavy rain accompanied by sandstorm and hail also disrupted traffic, leading to waterlogging and power cuts in several areas. Hoardings fell and trees were uprooted in many localities, while metro services were disrupted and airlines also issued advisories amid the inclement weather.

(With inputs from PTI)