NEW DELHI: Delhi got light to moderate rainfall on Tuesday due to an active western disturbance. The skies turned grey and daytime visibility reduced. The rain affected flight operations. At least 15 flights were diverted to nearby airports and over 100 flights were delayed.According to the India Meteorological Department, the first spell of showers happened between 2.30 am and 5.30 am, followed by an intense downpour later in the day between 2.30 pm and 8.30 pm. From Wednesday onwards, rain is unlikely.Safdarjung, the city’s base station, recorded 12.6 mm of rainfall until 8.30 am on Tuesday. It received 14.6 mm of rainfall from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. During the same period, Palam received 52.5 mm, Ridge 37 mm, Mayur Vihar 29.5 mm, Pitampura 16 mm, and Janakpuri 9.5 mm.
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Visibility at Palam dropped from 6,000 metres at 1:30 pm to 1,200 metres by 5 pm. The maximum temperature was 29.8 degrees Celsius, four degrees below normal. It was 26.5 degrees Celsius the day before. The minimum temperature on Tuesday was 21 degrees Celsius, which was one degree below normal. It may decrease further to 19 degrees Celsius by Wednesday.However, as rain is unlikely from Wednesday onwards, the daytime temperature is expected to rise. It is predicted to reach 30-32 degrees Celsius on Wednesday and may increase further to 33-35 degrees Celsius by Oct 13.In Oct, so far, Safdarjung has logged 80.5 mm of rainfall. This is over five times the entire month’s normal of 15.1 mm. Last year, Oct saw no rain, but Oct in 2023 recorded 5.4 mm, and 128.6 mm was recorded in Oct 2022.Of the 15 flight diversions, eight flew to Jaipur, five to Lucknow, and two to Chandigarh.The rain improved Delhi’s air quality. The air quality index (AQI) was at 73 in the satisfactory category on Tuesday, significantly lower than 105, in the moderate range, the day before. The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi said the AQI is likely to deteriorate to the moderate category by Wednesday.
