Delhi experienced light rain and overcast skies with a minimum temperature of 19.6°C, five notches below normal. The maximum temperature is expected to be around 26°C with gusty winds reaching 25-35 km/hr. A fresh western disturbance is expected to bring sporadic showers until May 7. The light rain improved Delhi’s air quality with the AQI remaining in the moderate range on Monday and becoming satisfactory on Tuesday. The maximum temperature is predicted to remain below 30°C until Wednesday.
The national Capital woke up to overcast sky and light rain on Monday morning, which saw the minimum temperature settle at 19.6°C – five notches below normal for this time of the season with the overall air quality also improving the same day.
The overcast conditions is expected to remain throughout the day with the maximum temperature to hover around 26°C, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Delhi is also likely to record light rain, accompanied by gusty winds touching 25-35 km/hr in most parts of the national Capital, met officials said.
Delhi had recorded a maximum temperature of 28.7°C on Sunday, which was 10 degrees below normal.
The last time Delhi had a lower maximum temperature this month was on April 1, 2023, however, if only the second half of the month was considered, when Delhi mostly sees temperatures above 40°C on a regular basis.
This is Delhi’s lowest maximum in at least 13 years, IMD data available since 2011 showed.
The last time Delhi had a lower maximum during the second half of the month was 29°C on April 17, 2019, IMD said.
Met officials said that a fresh western disturbance is expected in the coming days, with sporadic showers to continue till May 7.
During this period, Delhi is likely to see drizzle to light rain in parts of Delhi, along with strong winds, with the maximum temperature to stay below 35°C.
“The maximum is expected to be below 30°C till Wednesday. While it is likely to hover around 26°C today, it will be around the 27°C mark on Tuesday, with similar weather expected to continue,” said an IMD official.
Delhi’s minimum is meanwhile forecast to hover between 18-20°C till May 7.
The light drizzle also helped improve Delhi’s air quality.
Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) on Monday at 10am was 106 (moderate), while it had been 132 (moderate) at 4pm on Sunday – when the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) releases its national bulletin.
Forecasts show that the AQI is likely to remain in the moderate range on Monday, before improving to satisfactory on Tuesday.
The CPCB classifies an AQI between 0-50 as good, between 51 and 100 as satisfactory, between 101 and 200 as moderate, between 201 and 300 as poor, between 301 and 400 as very poor and over 400 as severe.
“Delhi’s air quality is likely to remain in the moderate category on May 1. The air quality will improve to the satisfactory category on May 2, before returning to moderate once again on May 3. The outlook for the subsequent six days shows Delhi’s AQI will largely be moderate,” said the Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi, a forecasting model under the ministry of earth sciences.
