Delhi hit by fresh spell of rain, sees significant drop in daytime temperature

Delhi: Visitors take a walk on the rain-soaked Kartavya Path as the Raisina Hill is seen illuminated in the background, in New Delhi, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (PTI Photo/Karma Bhutia)

Delhi saw a significant drop in daytime temperature on Saturday as fresh spells of rain and gusty thunderstorms swept across parts of the city, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a yellow alert for several districts just days after the official withdrawal of the Southwest Monsoon.

The maximum temperature settled at 29.2 degrees Celsius, 5.1 degrees below normal, and 3.8 degrees lower than the previous day at Safdarjung, the Capital’s primary base station. On Friday, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 33°C. Meanwhile, the city recorded a minimum temperature of 23.2 degrees Celsius on Saturday, 0.7 degrees below normal, and one degree lower than the previous day.

After remaining completely dry through the morning, parts of the national capital recorded light post-monsoon showers in the afternoon. According to the three-hour rainfall bulletin issued by the IMD at 5:40 pm, Mayur Vihar recorded the highest precipitation at 1.0 mm between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm, followed by Lodhi Road at 0.5 mm and Safdarjung at 0.2 mm. Both Ridge and Ayanagar observatories reported traces of rainfall during the three-hour window.

The weather department had warned of “generally cloudy skies” with one to two spells of very light to light rain at most places, along with moderate rainfall in several pockets during the afternoon and evening hours.

A yellow alert was sounded on Saturday evening, which placed northern, central, and eastern parts of Delhi, including North, North West, North East, West, Central, Shahdara, and East Delhi under a “Watch / Be Updated” alert for light showers and lightning.

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 air quality across the national capital also remained in the satisfactory category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the 24-hour average air quality index was 72 (satisfactory) at 4 pm, compared to 78 on Friday, As per CPCB standards, an AQI of 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’.

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The current wet spell arrives shortly after the official retreat of the Southwest Monsoon 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, as per the official data.

Dry conditions are set to return in the Capital with the IMD forecasting a generally cloudy sky on Sunday. Come next week, the city is set to see “mainly clear sky,” as per the forecast, and prevailing northwesterly winds by October that bring cooler air.