With Rare Rain, Delhi Records Wettest October Day In 4 Years

Heavy rain and thunderstorms in Delhi early Monday made it the wettest October day in four years, bringing the temperature down to the lowest recorded so far this month, the weather office said.

Delhi logged a minimum temperature of 18,7 degrees Celsius as the Safdarjung observatory logged 41.6 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours till 8.30 am.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) the last time the city recorded more rainfall in the month was on October 9, 2022, when Safdarjung logged around 74 mm, according to weather data.

The minimum temperature at Safdarjung, Delhi's base weather station, settled at 18.7 degrees Celsius on Monday, 2.3 degrees below normal and the lowest recorded so far this month.

Palam recorded a minimum of 17 degrees Celsius, 4.5 degrees below normal, while Lodhi Road registered 18.7 degrees, the Ridge 20 degrees and Ayanagar 18.5 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD.

The showers brought cooler conditions to the capital but also led to waterlogging in several areas, affecting traffic movement during the morning rush.

The Ridge recorded the highest rainfall among the city's five weather stations at 49 mm, followed by Safdarjung at 41.6 mm, Lodhi Road at 41.4 mm, Ayanagar at 39 mm and Palam at 31 mm during the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am.

Waterlogging was reported in parts of Sainik Farm in south Delhi and Mahipalpur. Visuals from R K Puram, Kartavya Path and other parts of central, southeast and west Delhi showed rain lashing the city.

The Delhi Traffic Police said on X that traffic had been diverted on both carriageways of Ansari Road, between Dharampura and Iron Bridge, due to waterlogging.

The maximum temperatures recorded on Sunday were 32 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, 30.5 degrees at Palam, 31 degrees at Lodhi Road, 30.9 degrees at the Ridge and 30.8 degrees at Ayanagar, all below normal.

The IMD had earlier issued a yellow warning for all 13 districts of Delhi, forecasting thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds of around 40 kmph and light to moderate rain till 9.55 am.

The IMD has forecast generally cloudy skies with rain during the rest of the day.

Delhi's average air quality index (AQI) stood at 88 at 8 am, in the 'satisfactory' category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

An AQI between zero and 50 is classified as 'good', 51 and 100 as 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 as 'moderate', 201 and 300 as 'poor', 301 and 400 as 'very poor', and 401 and 500 as 'severe'.

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