Rain and thunderstorms bring Delhi temperatures down; IMD issues yellow alert

Drizzling in New Delhi on Saturday. EXPRESS PHOTO BY PRAVEEN KHANNA

Temperatures across the national capital saw slight drop with daytime maximum at 29.2°C on Saturday which is five notches below normal. This was a sharp decrease compared to Friday’s peak of 33°C recorded at the Safdarjung base station.

Minimum temperatures early Saturday morning settled between 18.8°C at the Ridge and 23.2°C at Safdarjung, delivering cooler, breezier conditions across the city.

The latest district-level alert was issued Saturday evening and placed northern, central, and eastern parts of Delhi including North, North West, North East, West, Central, Shahdara, and East Delhi under a yellow “Watch / Be Updated” alert for light showers and lightning.

Meanwhile, drizzle to very light rain is expected across southern pockets, including New Delhi, South Delhi, and South West Delhi, IMD officials said.

Drizzling in New Delhi on Saturday. EXPRESS PHOTO BY PRAVEEN KHANNA

IMD officials attributed the weather system to a depression centered over Northeast Madhya Pradesh and adjoining north Chhattisgarh. This was seen moving north-northwestward toward southeastern Uttar Pradesh, alongside a mid-tropospheric Western Disturbance, meaning a low pressure area, IMD officials said.

The current wet spell arrives shortly after the official retreat of the Southwest Monsoon, which withdrew from Delhi on September 23, two days ahead of its normal withdrawal date of September 25. Safdarjung recorded a cumulative seasonal rainfall of 728.6 mm since June 1 against the long-period average of 629.7 mm, closing out the monsoon season at 16% above normal.

Dry conditions are set to return, with the IMD projecting clouds to thin out by Sunday, followed by mainly clear skies, rising daytime temperatures reaching 33°C to 35°C, and prevailing northwesterly winds by October.