City residents wake up to pleasant morning

Delhi-NCR residents woke up to pleasant weather on Monday morning as light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds brought much-needed relief from the rising mercury and pollution levels.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), widespread showers were recorded across the city and surrounding areas from Sunday night to Monday morning. Safdarjung, the city’s base observatory, logged 14 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am. Palam and Lodi Road saw 16.2 mm and 17.3 mm rain, respectively, while Najafgarh recorded the highest spell with 5.5 mm between 2:30 am and 5:30 am. Areas such as Palam, Pusa and Narela also received light showers.

Rain and gusty winds, with speeds up to 30-40 km/h, pushed Delhi’s minimum temperature down to 24°C — nearly four degrees below the seasonal average. The showers also gave a slight boost to the city’s air quality, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) improving to 73 (‘satisfactory’) at 9 am on Monday, down from 83 on Sunday evening.

The Central Pollution Control Board classifies an AQI between 51 and 100 as ‘satisfactory’. An AQI below 50 is considered ‘good’, while levels above 100 indicate moderate to severe pollution.

Neighbouring NCR cities, including Ghaziabad, Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad, also experienced similar weather, bringing respite to residents battling hot and humid conditions in recent days.

The IMD had issued a warning for light rain and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds across all four sectors of Delhi — northwest, northeast, southwest and southeast — early on Monday. A yellow alert remains in place for most parts of Delhi and NCR.

IMD officials said light to moderate showers were expected to continue over the next 24 hours, advising residents to avoid open spaces during thunderstorms and to watch out for possible waterlogging in low-lying areas.