Orange alert in national capital, rainy weather to persist all week: IMD

Parts of Delhi and Gurugram recorded moderate rainfall on Sunday, with overcast skies and windy conditions seen across the National Capital Region (NCR).

The weather station at Safdarjung, which is representative of Delhi, recorded only 0.8mm of rainfall between 8.30am and 5.30pm, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD). However, Palam and Ayanagar logged moderate showers and hail, receiving 30.4mm and 39.6mm in the same time period, respectively.

Gurugram, meanwhile, recorded 48mm rain over a 24-hour period till 8.30am on Sunday, according to IMD officials in Chandigarh.

Also Read | Mercury drops by 8 degrees after 14.1 mm rain in Chandigarh

Parts of the city received rain in the afternoon and evening, with areas such as the Sirhaul toll plaza also witnessing a hailstorm, but IMD logged only trace rain after 8.30am.

Despite rain and hail being recorded near Indira Gandhi International airport, officials said flight operations were not impacted.

“There was no disruption due to the weather,” an official at the airport said.

The intensity of rain is expected to increase on Monday, with the IMD issuing an orange alert for the Capital — the Met department issues a yellow alert to make the public aware about a weather phenomenon, which is upgraded to an orange alert when the weather activity requires the general public to “be prepared”.

Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD, said there were chances that most of Delhi would record rain on Monday, with the city also expected to witness gusty winds of up to 40km/hr along with hail in some areas.

“We are seeing a fresh western disturbance influencing the region, which has brought intense thundershowers in some parts of NCR. We have also reported hail from Palam and Ayanagar,” Srivastava said, adding that this western disturbance will intensify on Monday, with greater chances of the entire Capital being covered by thunderclouds.

“This western disturbance is combining with an induced cyclonic circulation forming in the region, which is leading to the formation of thunderclouds. These are localised spells which are bringing intense showers in a small window, accompanied by hail,” he said.

The rain led to the Capital logging a maximum temperature of 28 degrees Celsius (°C) — three notches below normal, and the second day in a row that the day’s high was below the normal after Saturday’s 25.3°C.

The minimum, meanwhile, was 15.4°C — one notch below the normal, and nearly three degrees below the 18.2°C recorded on Saturday.

Several areas in Gurugram witnessed waterlogging for a second day in a row, with Narsinghpur, Pataudi road and Atul Kataria chowk particularly badly affected. Waterlogging was also witnessed on the service road of NH-48 near Narsinghpur — a chronic black spot during the monsoons.

A Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) spokesperson said heavy rain during this time of the year was unexpected, but added that the civic body had installed pumps to dewater some areas.

IMD forecasts show Delhi is likely to record a maximum of around 26°C on Monday, while the minimum will hover around the 16 degree mark.

A Met department official said the Capital may witness drizzle to very light rain on Tuesday too, but peak rain activity during this western disturbance spell is expected on Monday.

“On Tuesday, we will see overcast skies, but the impact of the western disturbance will start reducing and no rain is expected on Wednesday or Thursday,” the official said.

In terms of air quality, Delhi’s pollution levels remained in the moderate zone, showing a slight improvement from Saturday’s Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 188 to 184 on Sunday, based on Central Pollution Control Board’s national bulletin.

Forecasts show that AQI is likely to remain moderate over the next two days due to rain and strong winds.